Sarajevo Synagogue

The synagogue of Sarajevo or synagogue of the Ashkenazim is situated in Sarajevo, on the southern bank of the river Miljacka. The synagogue is the third- largest in Europe and was built in 1902. The synagogue is now the main synagogue of the Jewish community in Sarajevo. The Old Synagogue ( Il Kal Grandi ), however, now houses an exhibition, the synagogue room on the ground floor but is used on special occasions for Jewish prayer.

History

The history of the Jews in Sarajevo can be traced back to the 16th century. This was to Sephardic Jews. The first synagogue was built around 1581, which, though destroyed in 1679 and 1778, but was subsequently rebuilt. Towards the end of the 19th century for the first time large groups of Ashkenazim in Sarajevo were sedentary. Since the Ashkenazim had no own synagogue, they decided to build their own. With the work of the Czech Karel Pařík was commissioned, designed the synagogue in the so-called proto- Moorish style. The construction of the synagogue was completed in 1902.

The synagogue has large arches with richly painted decorations. The high, ornate ceiling was highlighted by a ten-pointed star. Today the synagogue is limited to the women's gallery on the upper floor. At the entrance, a menorah commemorates the 400 -year history of the Jews in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The synagogue was originally part of the Ashkenazim, Sephardim during the 1932 built a new synagogue, which was destroyed in 1941. Today, the Synagogue of the Ashkenazim and Sephardim is shared.