The Jewish Community in Plzeň (Pilsen) in the Czech Republic has applied for a 4.5-million-euro grant from the EU to restore the city’s twin-towered Great Synagogue and Rabbinical house.
The planned reconstruction will mainly involve the interior of the Synagogue, where much of the painted decoration, and the organ, are in disrepair, despite partial restoration of the building in the 1990s.
According to Jan Kindermann, who formulated the project, “restoration will repair all the elements – plastering, painting, stone, stucco, metal.” It will employ a 3D digitalization of the interior and the creation of a permanent exhibition on Judaism.
Work on the rabbinical house, currently in poor condition, will entail a total renovation of the building. The project also includes the reconstruction of exterior surfaces, and building a garden between the synagogue and rabbinical house.
Should the funds be granted, work would comment in July 2018 and continue until July 2021.
The Great Synagogue (located at Sady Petatricatniku 11) was built in Moorish-Romantic style in 1888-92 and, one of the largest synagogues in Europe, is a city landmark and used as cultural venue.
There are two other synagogues in Plzeň.
The Old Synagogue, built in 1859 and currently used by the tiny Jewish community, was restored as part of the nationwide 10 Stars network and reopened in 2014, housing an exhibit on Jewish customs and traditions. Next to it, the Auxiliary synagogue, built in 1875, serves as a Holocaust memorial.