New Synagogue, Žilina: A Modernist Jewish Synagogue in Slovakia
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.7
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Slovakia
- Primary era
- Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- Unclassified
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Synagogue
On this page7 sections
History
Jewish congregation and construction
New Synagogue, Žilina is a modernist synagogue in Slovakia, built for the city’s Neolog Jewish congregation between 1929 and 1931. Neolog Judaism was a modern Jewish movement that developed chiefly among Hungarian-speaking communities and stood between traditional and Reform practice. The building belongs to the period of Slovak modern architecture and is regarded as a unique monument of its type in Slovakia.
The synagogue replaced an earlier building dating from around 1860, which had itself been superseded by another synagogue constructed on the site around 1880 and 1881. By the early 1930s, Žilina’s Jewish community had grown to approximately 3,000 people. An international competition for a new synagogue was launched in 1928, and the German architect Peter Behrens won the commission. Behrens, whose work helped shape modern architecture, integrated structure, materials, function, and design in the building.
The synagogue served its religious purpose until the Second World War. After the war, approximately 600 Jewish residents returned to Žilina, and the building was taken over for cultural and institutional uses. It first became a theatre and concert hall, then an assembly hall for the University of Transport, and finally a cinema, which operated until 2010.
Secular use and restoration
Its decades of secular use substantially changed the former synagogue. The interior was completely rebuilt, an inserted structure altered the original spatial arrangement, and the women’s galleries were removed. The façade was also substantially modified between 1945 and 1980.
In 2011, the civic association Truc sphérique obtained the building on a long-term lease after preparing a restoration project. Comprehensive restoration began in 2012 and ended in 2017. The work treated the interior wall surfaces and façade and reinstated many original interior and design features. The restored building was converted into an arts centre. It is protected as a Slovak national cultural monument, with registration dating from 5 November 1963.
Remains
Urban setting and exterior form
The synagogue stands close to Žilina’s historic centre, at the meeting of two streets on gently sloping ground. Its urban composition includes terraces, a broad staircase before the north entrance, a low wing containing a small prayer room, and a flat terrace along the eastern and southern façades. A massive central block rises from a horizontal base containing the vestibules and entrance terraces. The central volume is essentially cubic, with eleven vertical window openings beneath an attic whose outline rises toward the corners.
A large dome is set within the central block. It was originally covered with copper, while the central volume has a smooth plaster finish and the horizontal base is faced with irregular squared stone. Terraces, awnings, flat roofs, the base, and the attic outlines reinforce the building’s horizontal lines and symmetry. The dome and heavy central mass evoke Eastern architectural forms while expressing the synagogue’s religious purpose through modernist massing. The design was inspired by Rachel’s Tomb between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Prayer hall and interior arrangement
The domed main hall forms the spatial centre of the synagogue. Galleries around it are arranged on a square plan, while longitudinal vestibules on two sides extend the overall layout into a rectangle. A rectangular southern extension contains the small prayer room, balanced by a raised terrace to the north. The reinforced-concrete structure is especially apparent in the ceilings and galleries, while stone and brick were also used in the building.
The main prayer hall was planned for 450 male worshippers. A women’s gallery provided 300 places and was reached by four staircases. Space for a choir and organ stood above the altar area, with rooms for the rabbi and cantor at its sides. The dome carries a gold Star of David, and terracotta bands emphasize horizontal lines against white-painted walls. Terrazzo floors were laid in a carpet-like pattern. Artificial lighting included a bronze candlestick with reflectors directed toward the dome, while the original benches, doors, and windows were blue.
Dome and restored features
The dome has an internal diameter of 16 metres and an internal height of 17.6 metres. Restoration reinstated many original features of the interior and design, allowing the surviving building to convey elements of its initial architectural arrangement after the alterations made during its secular use.
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