The restored synagogue in the village of Čkyně, in southern Bohemia, will be rededicated on Oct. 5 with ceremonies including a religious service and the return of Torah scrolls from the synagogue that had been saved and preserved after the Shoah.
See the program of rededication events HERE
Built in 1828, the synagogue is the only surviving synagogue building in the Prachatice district and is one of the few surviving village synagogues in the Czech Republic. It was used for regular services until 1895 and then occasionally until World War I. (Many Jewish communities in small Czech villages ceased operation when their congregants moved to larger towns and cities). The building was sold to private owners in the early 1920s and later used as a workshop; by 1990 it was used as a storage house and dwelling.
The Company for the Restoration of the Čkyně Synagogue, which has spearheaded and overseen the project, said the rededication will be the culmination of 22 years of work. The aim has been to create a regional Jewish museum and cultural center in the building, administered by the district authorities.
The Company’s the web site notes that the restoration was a collaborative effort among the Prague Jewish community, local authorities, NGOs and private building firms:
The Company for Restoration of the Čkyně Synagogue was established in late 1990, when the future of the dilapidated building started to be pondered over. The synagogue is located in a small town Čkyně, former village in South Bohemia near Vimperk town and German border. Former owners were partly of Jewish origin and they bought the building from the local Jewish community after its moving to bigger Vimperk. In the 80s they sold it to the Jednota trade firm and it has been abandoned since. Our company managed to buy it back to the property of Čkyně municipality with help of former regional department of culture.
In following years the Project of Renovation was financed by the Prague Jewish Community and the District Department of Culture in Prachatice supported preparatory works, pulled down the later floor and bars, rebuilt origin window arcs and also new windows were prepared. The firm, however, was not up to its engagements, and since we have had a perfect co-operation with the Tekton Volyně building firm. The total renovation of the roof was finished in 1999, thanks to the State Roof Foundation.
Since [that] year we have been trying to obtain some other sum of money to continue the works, but in vain. The State Foundation for Monument Preservation assists only the monuments coming to ruin.The district helped us with a small amount each year, big gratitude belongs to Mr. Loeffler, the owner of the Loeffler Kunstwerk factory close to Čkyně, with his help we were able to go on. The origin ceiling was repaired and this year it is a new front facade, putting back to the origin state later made adaptations. This web pages are thanks to him as well, and thanks to the Čkyně municipality.
Jewish settlement in Čkyně dates from the 17th century. The Jewish cemetery in Čkyně, with more than 400 graves, was restored in the 1990s and is well maintained, with some finely carved Baroque matzevot featuring typical floral and folk motifs. The earliest legible gravestone is believed to be from 1688; the latest from 1942.
See pictures of the Jewish cemetery HERE
For more details, as well as description and history, click here to see the project’s web site
Also — see the JewishGen pages for Ckyne