Liptovský Mikuláš – Synagogue | |
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Historically, this town served as the seat of Liptov County, where for more than 200 years Jews were well respected and socially integrated. The Jewish community began to develop in the 18th century, reaching 1,115 people, or nearly 40 per cent of the total population, in 1880. In 1865 the town, then known as Liptovský Svätý Mikuláš, became the first town in Hungary to elect a Jewish mayor – Isaac Diner. This was two years before Jews acquired civil rights in the country. Three more Jews followed in this office, which is a sign of religious and cultural tolerance in the city. The Jewish community belonged to the Neolog stream and before the Second World War numbered about a thousand people. There is no Jewish community in the city anymore. The Jewish cemetery disappeared in the 1980s, when it was expropriated by the municipality; the gravestones were stolen. Synagogue The Liptovský Mikuláš synagogue embodies the tragedy of Jewish heritage in Slovakia. Although it is one of the most beautiful synagogues in Europe, there is no use for the building, and nobody is willing to come up with a solution for its survival. However, for the time being, it is still worth seeing – at least from the outside. An impressive edifice in the center of the town, the synagogue is a blend of various building stages. The original structure was destroyed by fire in 1878. Rebuilt, it was again damaged by fire in 1906. This time it was refurbished according to designs by the most important synagogue architect of the time, Lipót (Leopold) Baumhorn, from Budapest. Baumhorn retained the outer shell and neo-classical portico with its Ionic capitols and tympanum. But the interior, which preserves the original ark, is sheer Baumhornian Art Nouveau: a central dome, supported by four pillars that also support the women’s gallery. The original fittings survived until the 1980s; during the 1990s the building underwent a partial restoration for cultural purposes, and a local museum used it for occasional exhibitions. In 2009, however, in urgent need of complex renovation, the synagogue was returned to the owner – the Central Union of Jewish Religious Communities in Bratislava. There are no immediate plans (or funding) to restore the building; the synagogue will remain closed to visitors until more promising times arrive. Paradoxically, the last guests to visit it were an Israeli TV crew making a documentary film on Slovakia. |
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