Uherské Hradiště will repair the facade and windows of the former synagogue, which houses the library

Uherské Hradiště – The Town Hall in Uherské Hradiště will repair the facade and windows of the former synagogue in the city center, which is a cultural monument. The building houses the Bedřich Beneš Buchlovan library. The costs, including VAT, are nearly 5.2 million crowns, with a grant from the Ministry of Culture amounting to 770,000 crowns, stated Jan Pášma, spokesperson for the Uherské Hradiště town hall, in a press release.

The last time workers repaired the facade of the synagogue was in 2002, and it is now in poor condition. The facade of the building is pink and white; after reconstruction, it will return to its original gray-blue color with white decorative elements. Craftsmen will also ensure the repair of plumbing elements and rainwater drainage. "The project will also include re-paving part of the sidewalk on the north side of the building. Work will begin in the second half of April and last until the end of October,” the spokesperson stated.

The outcome of the public procurement was approved by the city council. "Every year we look for suitable objects from which we can draw grants from the Program for the Regeneration of Urban Heritage Zones and Reservations from the Ministry of Culture, and we chose the facade repair of the library last year as an ideal project to obtain support from this program. It has been exactly 20 years since the last reconstruction, and the building needs a new facade desperately," stated Mayor Stanislav Blaha (ODS).

The synagogue was built in the Neo-Romanesque style in 1875. Its current appearance comes from a period of radical reconstruction in 1904. The single-nave hall building with a rectangular floor plan is dominated by a restored tower structure with a dome. In June 1941, the synagogue was damaged by SA units and local members of the collaborationist organization Vlajka; after a second attack in August 1941, during which it was set on fire, only a ruin remained. The city repaired it for cultural purposes after the war. In March 1966, the building was damaged by a fire, and in July 1997 by floods, but it was always repaired again.