Famous Jewish synagogue - Bet Shabad Uzhhorod

This magnificent building of Jewish synagogue is a bright business card of the city of Uzhgorod in Transcarpathia in Ukraine and my amazing memory of the beautiful sunday of my anniversary!
We walked along the Uzh river embankment and made unforgettable shots of the old 2 storey houses, that were visible on the second bank of the river.

Suddenly, I saw a unique orange structure on the second shore, which stood out in the background of other buildings! It was necessary to go there on a pedestrian crossing across the river Uzh, to find out what kind of house it is.

We asked the locals and found out that this is the famous Jewish synagogue Bet Chabad located on Ruska street.Researchers say it is one of the most beautiful synagogues in Europe, with no analogues in the Old World. Before the war, it was an orthodox Ashkenazi Jewish synagogue in this building. Today, it is the home of the Transcarpathian Regional Philharmonic.

The building was built in a pompous romantic style, which was intertwined with Byzantine and Arab-Moorish motifs. The neo-Moorish style was characteristic in Europe at this time.The architects were Papp Gyula and Szabolcs Ferenc. The building is held on a plinth of pink marble. The outer walls are lined with clinker brick and red ceramic tiles. Rich window shutters decorated with artificial red marble. In the middle of the domed roof support the Moorish-style horseshoe and net arches of white marble.

The official opening took place on 1904 year, when the sacred books of the Torah were moved to the new synagogue. A striking element of the facade of the building was the central balcony with the image of a David star inscribed in a large circle. One of the inscriptions testified, "Built in 5694 according to the Jewish calendar."

Following the extermination of Uzhgorod Jewry during the Second World War (14 thousand Jews were taken to Auschwitz from Uzhgorod), the synagogue lost its top priority. In the 1950s, the Soviet authorities transferred the building to the newly formed Regional Philharmonic. After the reconstruction in the middle placed a concert hall for 800 seats. In the depth of the stage is installed a three-keyboard organ with 2250 pipes, made by masters from Czechoslovakia.We couldn't get inside the building then, during our walk around the synagogue.

According to historians and architects, this building is recognized masterpiece of European architecture!Jews from different countries come to the capital of Transcarpathia to see the shrine with their own eyes and feel its ancient spirit. This is one of the objects that the townspeople themselves and the guests of Uzhgorod admire, supporters of whatever religion they may be.

I truly felt this spirit as I sat on a bench near this Majestic Building, whose walls seemed to be pierced by the wisdom of generations.

And while I was fascinated by the unique building and the unforgettable shots, my daughter @bugavi took pictures of me) So, I have these photos in memory of my birthday trip.

Wonderful pictures of the sunset over the Uzh River complemented my evening.

Thank you for reading my blog. I will continue the story about other interesting places of Uzhgorod - the capital of Transcarpathia.

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