Synagogue in Żarki

The synagogue in Żarki stands at ulica Moniuszki 2, on the Leśniówka river. It is the only one of the former town's three free-standing synagogues to survive to this day, and it houses the Municipal and Commune Cultural Centre.

A building from around 1870

The synagogue was built around 1870 on the initiative of progressive Jews. The brick building was erected on a rectangular plan measuring 16.2 by 39.6 metres in the Moorish Revival and neo-Romanesque style. Inside, the former layout has been preserved: a vestibule, a spacious prayer hall with an apse where the Torah ark stood and with the bimah in the middle, and a women's gallery open to the main hall above the vestibule.

After the war and today

During the Second World War the synagogue was devastated by the Nazis, and later damaged by bombing. In 1954-1957 it was rebuilt for the needs of a cultural centre: the building was extended to the east and the front wall was altered. A further renovation was carried out in 2009-2011, during which a new wing was added.

In Żarki itself, about 700 m away, is the Museum of Old Crafts.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Stanisława Moniuszki 2, Żarki.
• The building is an active cultural centre, so check with the centre before your visit whether you can go in and what the opening hours are.