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function for the local Jewish community. The magnificent temple building was visible in the city skyline and symbolized the importance of the Jewish community. The religious life of the Jewish community of Oświęcim focused around the synagogue. The main rabbis of the Jewish community in Oświęcim who held services in the synagogue in the years 1873–1939 were: Lazar Münz, Szlomo
Halberstam, Abraham Schnur, Osias Pinkas Bombach and his last son, Eliasz Bombach.
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The brick synagogue building was erected on a rectangular plan. Inside was a vestibule from which one could enter the main prayer hall. It was surrounded on three sides by galleries for women, to which separate entrances and staircases led. Inside there were 2000 seats. At the beginning of the 20th
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The Great
Synagogue was attended mainly by representatives of the progressive Jewish intelligentsia (including doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs and officials), and to a limited extent also traditionalists. The synagogue, with 2,000 places, was known as the Great Synagogue as it had a representative
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The inside of the synagogue was decorated with splendid paintings. The domed ceiling was painted to resemble the blue skies, in which golden stars were strewn. Around the sky were depicted the signs of the zodiac and biblical musical instruments. In the center of the synagogue there was a green
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Street) became the central area of Jewish life. According to the research of Artur
Szyndler, Jews lived also in other parts of the city. The beginning of the 20th century was a period of prosperity for the Jewish community and the entire town. There were very prosperous factories in the city
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The last synagogue, the Great
Synagogue, was built in 1873 after the last fire on the site of the pre-existing synagogue. Between 1899 and 1900 it was redesigned and rebuilt by the architect Carl Korn. The building received a representative, richly decorated facade with elements of
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of the building was maintained in a representative style, similarly to other synagogues designed by Korn. The synagogue was the first building in the city to have electrical lighting installed; the lights were first switched on in 1925.
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The new design of the building was planned by Carl Korn between 1899 and 1900. The design is known from surviving photographs from the early 20th century. Korn was a well-known Polish architect from
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and was carried out thanks to a fundraiser that was attended by residents, local entrepreneurs, public institutions, and descendants of Oświęcim Jews. The park was opened on
November 28, 2019.
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Over the centuries the building was twice destroyed by fire. The first time was on July 6, 1711. After this fire, a stone temple was constructed. Another fire damaged the building in 1863.
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The appearance of the synagogue before the reconstruction that ended in 1900 and the interior is unknown because no photographs or architectural plans have survived.
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in Oświęcim, where the artefacts were catalogued, inventoried and restored. Some items are on display at the permanent exhibition at the Center's Jewish Museum.
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Initially, the centre of Jewish life was located in the northern part of the town, but in time the community moved and settled in the southern part. The area of
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The first mention of a Jewish congregation in Oświęcim dates from 1588, when the congregation was probably established. Archival documents suggest that a
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After the war, the synagogue was not rebuilt. The place where it was standing was left empty for years, as a testimony to the events of the war.
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century, annexes to the north and to the south were added, filling the empty space on a slope on which the synagogue had been erected.
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The synagogue had a representative, richly ornamented facade with elements of
Romanesque Revival, Gothic Revival, Moorish Revival and
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836:"Poland: Memorial park commemorating the destroyed Great Synagogue in Oświęcim, the town where the Nazis built Auschwitz, wins award"
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Before the Second World War, more than the half of Oświęcim's population was Jewish. There were around 20 synagogues in the city.
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from Oświęcim, Jan
Piotraszewski, gave or sold his land to the local Jewish community so that they could build their temple and
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The beginning of the Jewish settlement in Oświęcim officially began in the first half of the 16th century, so before the
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610:. Other inspirations for its architectural from could be seen in German architecture, e.g. the Hamburg synagogue of
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A description of the interior of the synagogue can be found in a conversation with a Jew from Oświęcim, Manheimer:
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were carried out on the former synagogue site . Approximately 400 objects were found during the works, called the
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Nearly 80 years after the destruction of the synagogue, the inhabitants of Oświęcim decided to establish a
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lamps, fragments of furniture and ornaments, decorative floor tiles, marble elements of the
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on the site as a place of commemoration and reflection. The project was initiated by the
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Marble elements featuring signs of the zodiac from the Great
Synagogue in Oświęcim
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colored platform, the Holy Ark and the
Lectern were made of elegant white marble.
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soldiers. In 1941, its ruins were demolished, and the area was used to build
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styles. The details of the decoration referred to the ornamentation of the
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and near other trade centres, but it has not been confirmed by documents.
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The temple was demolished on the night of 29-30 November 1939 by the
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784:"Oświęcim. Żyrandol z Wielkiej Synagogi zawisł w miejscu modlitwy"
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Religious buildings and structures in Lesser Poland
Voivodeship
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868:(in Polish). Pro Memoria, Biluetyn Informacyjny. p. 22.
931:. Warsaw: POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. 2017.
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Decorative floor tiles from the Great Synagogue in Oświęcim
880:
Oszpicin. Przewodnik po żydowskiej historii Oświęcimia
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Wolnerman, Ch.; Burstin, A.; Geshuri, M. S. (1977).
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producing paper, chemical products and other goods.
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614:. The building was crowned with two onion-shaped
509:The Great Synagogue Memorial Park seen from above
810:"Wyposażenie Wielkiej Synagogi trafi na wystawę"
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1618:Synagogues in Poland destroyed by Nazi Germany
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686:The Great Synagogue Memorial Park in Oświęcim
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732:"Oświęcim inaczej – turystyczne hity miasta"
1563:Buildings and structures demolished in 1939
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758:"A major discovery at the Great Synagogue"
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1598:Romanesque Revival architecture in Poland
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937:"Oshpitzin. The city known as Auschwitz"
882:. Centrum Żydowskie w Oświęcimiu. 2014.
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99:Ecclesiastical or organisational status
27:Destroyed synagogue in Oświęcim, Poland
1583:Moorish Revival architecture in Poland
1568:Gothic Revival architecture in Poland
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32:For similarly named synagogues, see
907:. Jerusalem: Towarzystwo Oszpitsin.
676:List of active synagogues in Poland
519:Auschwitz Jewish Center in Oświęcim
174:Location of the destroyed synagogue
525:History of the religious community
409:. The first building was likely a
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1558:19th-century synagogues in Poland
475:Excavations at the Synagogue site
1553:1939 disestablishments in Poland
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18:The Great Synagogue in Oświęcim
943:– via Arts and Culture.
738:(in Polish). November 28, 2021
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671:History of the Jews in Poland
515:Great Synagogue Memorial Park
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1613:Synagogues completed in 1873
866:Wielka synagoga w Oświęcimiu
587:who also designed Biała and
544:and Żydowska Street (today,
342:Wielka Synagoga w Oświęcimiu
53:Wielka Synagoga w Oświęcimiu
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1588:Moorish Revival synagogues
782:Redakcja (June 20, 2019).
484:archaeological excavations
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1573:Gothic Revival synagogues
1531:List of wooden synagogues
1524:List of active synagogues
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178:Lesser Poland Voivodeship
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1608:Rundbogenstil synagogues
864:Świątek, Monika (2005).
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500:Auschwitz Jewish Center
923:"The City of Oświęcim"
840:Jewish Heritage Europe
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189:Geographic coordinates
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1433:(Ostrów Wielkopolski)
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606:in Miodowa Street in
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1106:(no longer standing)
842:. September 15, 2020
612:Albrecht Rosengarten
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1099:Destroyed by
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1401:Wolf Popper
1252:Maharshal's
1132:Nomer Tamid
846:January 19,
820:January 29,
816:(in Polish)
794:January 19,
790:(in Polish)
767:January 19,
742:January 30,
716:January 19,
712:(in Polish)
496:Aron Kodesh
295: 1588
214: /
84:Affiliation
71: 1900
1547:Categories
1463:(Przemyśl)
1455:(Piotrków)
1337:repurposed
1263:(Oświęcim)
1202:(Katowice)
1185:Inowrocław
1113:Białystok
990:Synagogues
692:References
372:), in the
1439:Piaskower
1274:Przemyśl
1269:Przedbórz
1245:Maharam's
1156:Bydgoszcz
1150:(Breslau)
492:Ner tamid
482:In 2004,
370:Auschwitz
362:‹See Tfd›
353:synagogue
322:Materials
313:Destroyed
305:Completed
237:Carl Korn
119:Destroyed
105:Synagogue
1325:Zabłudów
1319:(Warsaw)
1311:(Tarnów)
1172:(Danzig)
1118:Chorszul
1049:Oświęcim
631:See also
589:Wadowice
407:cemetery
403:townsman
357:Oświęcim
346:Orthodox
134:Oświęcim
130:Location
125:Location
92:(former)
78:Religion
1505:Zasanie
1492:complex
1490:Włodawa
1483:Tykocin
1476:Szydłów
1446:Pińczów
1361:Kraków
1240:Lublin
1236:(Łomża)
1208:Końskie
1194:(Jasło)
1141:Bielsko
1058:Warsaw
585:Bielsko
392:History
202:19°10′E
144:Country
1498:Zamość
1410:Łańcut
1356:Cytron
1302:Słupsk
1286:Tempel
1089:Former
1038:Lubin
1032:Tempel
1017:Kraków
1010:Active
996:Poland
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449:façade
378:Poland
366:German
349:Jewish
338:Polish
199:50°4′N
148:Poland
115:Status
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1469:Sejny
1453:Great
1424:Nisko
1417:Lesko
1366:Bobov
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1317:Great
1295:Radom
1261:Great
1234:Great
1225:Stara
1218:Great
1213:Łódź
1200:Great
1192:Great
1170:Great
1163:Bytom
1125:Great
1072:Nożyk
1054:Remah
1027:Remah
1022:Izaak
616:domes
386:Nazis
326:Brick
253:Style
1387:Kupa
1373:High
884:ISBN
848:2022
822:2022
796:2022
769:2022
744:2022
718:2022
457:Nazi
441:and
332:The
308:1873
242:Type
1461:New
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1394:Old
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