Fortress synagogues are synagogues built to withstand attack while protecting the lives of people sheltering within them.

Fortress synagogues first appear in the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...

 in the sixteenth century at a time of frequent invasions from the east by Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

, Russian

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 and Walachian troops. The Old Synagogue (Przemyśl)

Old Synagogue (Przemysl)

The Old Synagogue, , was a large structure in Przemyśl, Poland. It was completed in 1594. It was damaged in 1939 when the Germans were retreating from the eastern bank of the San River and destroyed by the Nazis in 1941....

 is a typical example. The region also had fortified churches, of which St. Andrew's Church, Kraków

St. Andrew's Church, Kraków

The Church of St. Andrew in the Old Town district of Kraków, Poland located at ul. Grodzka 54, is a Romanesque church built between 1079 - 1098 by a medieval Polish statesman Palatine Sieciech...

 is a surviving example.

The Old Synagogue (Krakow)

Old Synagogue (Kraków)

Old Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Kazimierz district of Kraków, Poland. It is the oldest synagogue building still standing in Poland, and one of the most precious landmarks of Jewish architecture in Europe...

, a rare, surviving Fortress synagogue, was rebuilt in 1570 with an attic wall featuring loopholes

Embrasure

In military architecture, an embrasure is the opening in a crenellation or battlement between the two raised solid portions or merlons, sometimes called a crenel or crenelle...

 and windows placed far above ground level, features borrowed from military architecture. It has been altered many times since.
Walls were thick masonry, with heavy buttressing to withstand assault. Like other fortifications, the synagogues were often built on hills. The Husiatyn Synagogue

Husiatyn Synagogue

The Husiatyn Synagogue is a former synagogue in Husiatyn, Galicia, Ukraine.The synagogue is a rare example of a sixteenth-century "Fortress synagogue" built in Renaissance style.S...

 is another example of a surviving, sixteenth century Fortress synagogue.

See also

• History of the Jews in Poland
  History of the Jews in Poland
  The history of the Jews in Poland dates back over a millennium. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jewish community in the world. Poland was the centre of Jewish culture thanks to a long period of statutory religious tolerance and social autonomy. This ended with the...
  
  
• History of the Jews in Galicia (Central Europe)
• History of the Jews in Ukraine
  History of the Jews in Ukraine
  Jewish communities have existed in the territory of Ukraine from the time of Kievan Rus' and developed many of the most distinctive modern Jewish theological and cultural traditions. While at times they flourished, at other times they faced periods of persecution and antisemitic discriminatory...