Zhovkva Synagogue

Zhovkva, Ukraine
1692
Zhovkva was founded in 1594 as a private town-residence and built by Italian architects on Renaissance theories of the "Ideal Town." The once sizeable and influential Jewish community was established from the outset, alongside Ukrainian and Polish populations. Of the town's 40 sites listed on the state register as notable architectural monuments, the impressive synagogue is a superb example of monumental Eastern European Jewish architecture. The long facade is marked by nine distinctive bays, punctuated with circular window openings, archways, and peaked roofs. A crenelated, fortress-like mass, housing the main sanctuary, rises from the center of the building. Both the town of Zhovkva and the synagogue retained much of their Renaissance appearance until World War II, when bombing leveled considerable portions of the city. In 1941, German occupiers blew up the synagogue. Although interiors were destroyed, the walls remained. The first step to conserving the building is to prevent collapse, stop deterioration, and reverse decades-old decay. With complete restoration, the synagogue may find new use as a museum of Galician-Jewish history and culture.