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Presenter: Sergey Kravtsov

The architectural history of synagogues in Galicia-Ruthenia is traceable from the sixteenth century. Construction of synagogues was the Jewish communities' existential duty, a vibrant activity involving Jewish and non-Jewish agents. Ruthenia was a hotbed of novel architectural patterns in synagogue construction, distinct and influential in general European context. This activity was continued until World War I, being enriched by architectural idioms arriving from the West and national romantic ideas generated by the "Jewish Renaissance." The resulting built heritage, masonry and wooden, was abundant and wide-ranging in its typology, stylistics, and decoration. It was and-despite the Holocaust, Soviet and post-Soviet losses-still is rich in its historical significance, collective and personal memory, in cultural meanings pertinent to synagogues' types and particular edifices. Preservation of this heritage through a variety of strategies and forms is a challenge to the holders of the Galician legacy.