The Krnov synagogue is open again after the flood, awaiting interior painting

Krnov – Most of the damage caused by last year's flood in the Krnov synagogue has already been repaired. The interior is still waiting for painting. However, the synagogue is already open. Jan Stejskal, the chairman of the Society at the Synagogue, told ČTK. The flood caused damage worth a million crowns to the building last year.

After the flood, there was a meter of water and mud in the building. The pressure also damaged the structure of one of the towers. The interior is waiting for painting. Stejskal stated that the masonry must dry first. Since its reopening in 2014, the synagogue has lived a dual life. It serves as a cultural monument and a religious object. It hosts both Jewish services as well as concerts and exhibitions.

"After the flood, the building was closed for half a year. We had to remove the mud. The water damaged the structure of the southeast tower. Many other issues have already been resolved. That is why we were able to open. We are still waiting for the masonry to dry. Then we will paint," Stejskal said.

The Krnov synagogue is the only one that has survived in the region. It is publicly accessible throughout the week, with the exception of Friday evening and Saturday morning, when it serves religious purposes. The social and cultural life in the building is organized by the Society at the Synagogue, led by Stejskal. It hosts concerts, exhibitions, and lectures, not solely on Jewish themes. "Before the coronavirus epidemic, attendance was around 5,000 people every year. After COVID, it dropped to 1,500 people and is now rising again. Last year, approximately 3,000 people visited us. These are mainly tourists and visitors to cultural events," he said.

The building itself belongs to the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic, which takes care of its maintenance. Stejskal's society operates with an annual budget of up to 300,000 crowns. They receive money from entrance fees. "That covers about a quarter of the annual costs. We also get additional funds from private sponsors and donors," he stated.

In the future, the society is preparing to open a small multicultural space next to the synagogue. "We have been working on the project for several years. We acquired a historical freight car, which we placed next to the building. It serves as a reminder of all the residents of Krnov who left their homes with Jewish transports and never returned," he said.

The freight car originates from the period just after the war but at first glance looks like those used by the Nazis for transporting Jews. "We have been gradually repairing it for several years. Our goal is to create a space around it for smaller cultural events," Stejskal said. He added that in the future, it will serve as a stage for smaller concerts as well as an exhibition space. "It is already repaired on the outside. We are now working on the interior. The work will take another two years. The total cost will be 300,000 crowns," he added. The car was obtained from the Krnov train station. The tracks were donated by Krnov Repairs and Engineering.

The synagogue was built by Krnov builder Ernest Latzel on the site of the former moat. It opened on June 5, 1872. It was built in the Neo-Romanesque style with interiors in a Moorish style, inspired by the buildings of Sephardic Jews. The opening of the building, which was also contributed to by Emperor Franz Joseph I, was a significant social event. The building ceased serving as a place of worship at the end of 1938, after Krnov was occupied by the German army.

The synagogue survived the rampage of the Nazis and a fanaticized mob during the occupation thanks to an unusual story. The Krnov city council approved by a majority of one vote the proposal of builder Franz Irblic to quickly convert the synagogue into a market. They then had the ceremonial hall at the Jewish cemetery destroyed and its photographs were presented as evidence of the burning of the Krnov synagogue. The camouflage succeeded, and both the Reich's and Czechoslovak newspapers reported on the burning of the synagogue in Krnov. However, the fanaticized mob still damaged various Jewish monuments in the city and publicly burned books from the library of Krnov judge Ervín Kunewälder.

The perception of these events remains complicated for the Jewish population even today. The fate of the synagogue was decided by the leadership of the town hall, which was German. Moreover, there are several versions of why Irblic made the proposal to save the synagogue. According to one version, he was an anti-Semite and profited financially from the subsequent conversion into a market. According to another version, he felt respect for the place and even accommodated Jews.