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New Synagogue (Przemysl)
Encyclopedia
The Przemyśl New Synagogue, also known as the Scheinbach Synagogue was an orthodox synagogue in Przemyśl
, Poland
. Since World War II, the synagogue, which is still standing, has been used as the Ignacy Krasicki Przemyśl Public Library.
The synagogue is a free-standing building in a blend of Rundbogenstil
and Classical styles with eclectic decoration. It was designed by architect Stanisław Majerski. The elaborate interior decoration once featured Biblical scenes and scenes of Eretz Israel painted on the walls and ceiling. In its incarnation as a public library, the building has a sedate and functional interior with bookshelves and walls painted white. The synagogue also had a notable set of stained glass windows. The windows and paintings were by a Jewish Przemyśl artist named Adolf Bienenstock (1888-1937.) Bienenstock was a graduate of the Krakow Fine Art Academy. Krakow
, like Przemyśl, was then part of Austrian Galicia. Bienenstock, who taught art at the Przemyśl Gymnasium, had studied under the notable Polish artist Józef Mehoffer
. The interior reflects the influence of the Young Poland
movement of which Mehoffer was part. Young Poland was the Polish version of the jugendstil (art nouveau
) movement.
The synagogue was used as a stable by the German army during World War II, then used as a textile factory under the Communist post-War government before being turned into a library in the 1960s.
Przemysl
Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Since World War II, the synagogue, which is still standing, has been used as the Ignacy Krasicki Przemyśl Public Library.
History and architecture
Construction on the began in 1910 and was completed in 1918 after delays caused by the First World War. The spacious, high-ceilinged building survives, although Communist-period renovations stripped so much of the exterior detail that it presents an appearance in marked contrast to the building shown in old photographs.The synagogue is a free-standing building in a blend of Rundbogenstil
Rundbogenstil
Rundbogenstil , one of the nineteenth-century historic revival styles of architecture, is a variety of Romanesque revival popular in the German-speaking lands and the German diaspora....
and Classical styles with eclectic decoration. It was designed by architect Stanisław Majerski. The elaborate interior decoration once featured Biblical scenes and scenes of Eretz Israel painted on the walls and ceiling. In its incarnation as a public library, the building has a sedate and functional interior with bookshelves and walls painted white. The synagogue also had a notable set of stained glass windows. The windows and paintings were by a Jewish Przemyśl artist named Adolf Bienenstock (1888-1937.) Bienenstock was a graduate of the Krakow Fine Art Academy. Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, like Przemyśl, was then part of Austrian Galicia. Bienenstock, who taught art at the Przemyśl Gymnasium, had studied under the notable Polish artist Józef Mehoffer
Józef Mehoffer
Józef Mehoffer was a Polish painter and decorative artist, one of the leading artists of the Young Poland movement and one of the most revered Polish artists of his time.-Life:...
. The interior reflects the influence of the Young Poland
Young Poland
Young Poland is a modernist period in Polish visual arts, literature and music, covering roughly the years between 1890 and 1918. It was a result of strong aesthetic opposition to the ideas of Positivism...
movement of which Mehoffer was part. Young Poland was the Polish version of the jugendstil (art nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
) movement.
The synagogue was used as a stable by the German army during World War II, then used as a textile factory under the Communist post-War government before being turned into a library in the 1960s.
Image
- http://przemysl.blogspot.com/2008/12/architecture-of-tempel-and-new.html
- http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Przemysl/photos/show_sygag.shtml
See also
- Zasanie SynagogueZasanie SynagogueZasanie Synagogue, , located in Przemyśl, Poland, was the only synagogue in Przemyśl built on the western bank of the San River. It served as a house of prayer for 30 years until the Second World War. Today it is one of the two remaining synagogue buildings in Przemyśl...
- 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....
- Tempel Synagogue (Przemyśl)Tempel Synagogue (Przemysl)The Tempel Synagogue was a reform Jewish synagogue in Przemyśl, Poland. The name Tempel was widely bestowed on Reform synagogues in Poland.-History:...