Synagogue in Chęciny

It may be hard to believe today, but the Jewish community used to constitute a significant part of the city's population.

Today, the evidence of the shtetl in Chęciny is the Jewish cemetery, mezuzahs in the door frames of some tenement houses, or the synagogue.

The late Renaissance synagogue was built in the 17th century. The area around it is moved away from the main building line and lowered in relation to other buildings.

Quite a squat building is made of brick - it was built of brick and sandstone blocks. The synagogue, originally on a square plan, was extended in the 20th century with additional rooms. The whole is covered with a

hipped roof.

For almost 400 years, the synagogue served as a place of prayer for the Chęciny Jewish community. It was brought to an end by World War II - in 1942 the Nazis deported the Jews from the Chęciny ghetto to the

extermination camp in Treblinka. In later years, the synagogue served many functions - its interiors hosted a cinema, community center and even the city hall. Currently, the Chęciny commune has a plan to create a

Jewish Culture Remembrance Center inside the synagogue.