GREAT SYNAGOGUE of OSWIECIM

The earliest reference to the synagogue comes from 1588 when a resident of Oswiecim, Jan Piotraszewski, donated his house and land to the Jewish community to serve as a site for the future synagogue and cemetery. Very little information is available about the history of the synagogue. Most likely, the building was first made of wood, and later reconstructed as a stone structure. The synagogue was repeatedly destroyed during fires in Oswiecim, first in 1711, and again in 1863. After the second fire, the synagogue was reconstructed in stone and reopened in 1873.

The final incarnation of the synagogue, as seen in surviving photographs, was finished between 1890 and 1900. It is thought that the final work was undertaken by Gustaw Bleichert and Wiktor Bürda, according to the design of Bielsko architect, Karol Korn. In their renovation, the synagogue was given a new façade, which included neo-Romanesque, neo-Gothic, Moorish, and the so-called Rundbogenstil (“round arch”) elements. It resembled the synagogues in Wadowice and Biała, with decorative elements from the progressive Tempel Synagogue in Kraków. Its architectural genesis may also be traced to Germany, in particular to the Hamburg synagogue created by Albrecht Rosengarden. The façade style was a manifestation of the German influences and modern tendencies which were widespread in the local Jewish community during the second half of 19^th century.

Synagogue services were mostly attended by progressive Jewish intelligentsia , including town doctors, lawyers, businessmen, and clerks, although also to a lesser extent also by the traditional elements of the community. At the time, the synagogue had 2,000 seats, and, due to its size, became known as “the Great Synagogue.” It was intended to represent the position of the local Jewish community, and the monumental building would have been easily distinguishable in the pre-war panorama of Oswiecim. It was the center of Jewish religious life in the town. The Great Synagogue was one of the many houses of prayer representing different streams of Judaism in Oswiecim, most of which were located on the Jewish Street (now Berek Joselewicz Street).

The Great Synagogue was destroyed by the Nazis on the night of November 29, 1939, and its remains were later demolished.