Tempel Synagogue

Infobox religious building
building_name =Tempel Synagogue
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location =Flagicon|POL Kraków, Poland
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religious_affiliation =Reform Judaism
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district =Kazimierz
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functional_status =Active synagogue
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architect =Ignacy Hercok
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architecture_style =Moorish Revival
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groundbreaking =1860
year_completed =1862
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The Tempel Synagogue is a Reform Judaism synagogue in Kraków, Poland, in the Kazimierz district. The Moorish Revival building was designed by Ignacy Hercok, and built in 1860-1862. The building, with its tall central section flanked by lower wings, is designed on the pattern of the Leopoldstädter Tempel, in Vienna, Austria. At the time the Tempel was built, Kraków was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The richly finished interior is patterned all over in dense patterns painted in many colors and copious amounts of gold leaf, but the patterns are not Moorish, with the exception of the exquisite Moorish pattern on the ceiling. The arch over the Aron Kodesh with its pattern of alternating tall and short houses is more in the style of Polish folk art than anything Islamic. The Aron Kodesh is covered by a gold-leaf dome that evokes the dome over the Sigusmund Chapel in the nearby Wawel Cathedral.

The synagogue was ruined during the World War II by Nazis, who used the building as ammunition storage area. After the war, it was used again for prayers. In 1947, a "mikvah" was built in the northern part of synagogue. Regular prayers were held until 1985. The synagogue underwent a vast renovation from 1995 until 2000. It is still active today, although the prayers are held only a few times a year.

See also

* Remuh Synagogue, active Orthodox synagogue in Kraków

External links

* [http://www.jewishkrakow.net/en/synagogues/tempel www.JewishKrakow.net] - a guide to the Tempel Synagogue as well as Kazimierz in general, Krakow's Jewish quarter
* [http://www.krakow.jewish.org.pl The Jewish Community of Krakow]