Lesko Synagogue

The Lesko Synagogue was a former Hasidic Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 16 Berka Joselewicza Street, in Lesko, in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship of Poland. The synagogue had functioned as a place of worship until 1942 when the building was deserted by the Nazis during World War II. In the 1980s the building was repurposed for use as part of the Muzeum Żydów Galicji, a Jewish history museum.

History

The synagogue was built between 1626 and 1654 by the Sephardic Jewish community of Lesko. By the twentieth century, it was one of six synagogues in the town, and the only one whose building survived the Second World War, although in a very damaged state; the interior was devastated by the German invaders of Poland. For almost two decades after the war, it was neglected. It was renovated from the 1960s onwards.
The building was constructed in the Mannerist [architecture and sculpture in Poland|Mannerist] and early Baroque style with characteristic gables decorated with volutes and stone baroque vases. Some of the elements are gothic - buttresses, tower. The façade bears a Hebrew inscription that reads, in translation: "He was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven'". The interior was adorned in mannerist style with niches, cornices and architraves.
Since the 1980s the synagogue is the site of Muzeum Żydów Galicji and an art gallery that includes exhibits by artists of the Bieszczady region.