Synagogue in Kobrin was built in the middle of the 19th century (but some sources date the construction time to the end of the 18th century). The building is in eclectic style with elements of classicism. The abandoned Kobrin synagogue has a symmetrical shape, decorated with window sills and arched belts. The truth of all this is almost invisible behind the peeling paint and mountains of debris.

kobrin abandoned

It is noteworthy that this is the only surviving synagogue in this city. According to the archive data, there were seven of them before the war, because 66% of the population, according to estimates for the 1920s, was of Jewish nationality.

During the Second World War, the synagogue in Kobryn was a kind of ghetto center, where Jews from the city and the surrounding area were resettled. The walls of the synagogue still remember the execution of people during the liquidation of the ghetto. In total, about 7000 Jews were killed and tortured to death on its territory in the city during the Great Patriotic War.

synagogue abandoned kobrin

After the war, the Soviet authorities decided to close the synagogue in Kobrin. Everything valuable was taken out, and the building itself began to be used for production purposes. So in the 80s, the synagogue housed a workshop for the production of beer, and a little later - the workshop of the Kobrin plant of soft drinks. After the closure of which the synagogue in Kobrin was no longer used.

As is often the case with our cultural heritage, today synagogue in Kobrin, is in complete decline. The building has not been used for many years, the territory is full of garbage, and inside there is a warehouse of empty bottles.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the Jewish community of Kobrin wanted to restore this iconic building. It was planned to create a cultural center of the Jews of Western Belarus, open a museum of ethnography and history of the Jews of the Brest region, and resume the work of the synagogue. According to estimates, the restoration at that time cost about one million dollars. Sponsors and investors are still being sought.

Kobrin, st. Pervomayskaya 40

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