GOLČŮV JENÍKOV SYNAGOGUE

The first synagogue in Golčův Jeníkov was built as a log cabin type of structure. Written evidence of this dates back to 1659, which is also the time of the first records of Jews in the town. However, the synagogue burned down in 1808 and further decayed until another fire sixty years later, when fifteen other buildings were destroyed. The new brick-built building from 1873 is Neo-Romanesque and features decorative elements in Moorish style. On the gable are the Ten Commandments of Moses and the façade is decorated with a Hebrew star.

The Golčův Jeníkov synagogue served as a place of worship until 1942, when the local Jews were deported. Then it was administered by the Czechoslovak Hussite Church or the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. When the lease to the church was cancelled, the building fell into disrepair and one of the proposals for what to do with it was to create a cinema inside. Thanks to the intervention of the regional conservation authority, the synagogue was transferred to the State Jewish Museum in Prague, which created a depository in Golčův Jeníkov and completely restored the building in the 1990s.

Photo: archive of Vysočina Tourism