Borisov. The building of the former Great Synagogue.

In the very center of Borisov, on III International Street, there is a building that preserves the memory of an entire epoch in the life of the city. Today it has been given over to offices and retail premises, and only a careful glance will notice the outlines of the once majestic temple in its strict forms. It is a former Great Synagogue, a witness to the flourishing of the Jewish community and the tragic pages of the history of the 20th century.

An architectural masterpiece from the beginning of the century.

The building was erected in 1912 (some sources also indicate 1913) and was rightfully considered one of the best and largest synagogues in the entire Minsk province. Its impressive size amazed the imagination of contemporaries - only the area of the first floor was 483 square meters. The architecture of the synagogue, designed in the spirit of neoclassicism, was not only monumental, but also exquisitely decorated.

The main facade of the building was decorated with tall arched windows, and the central round window was filled with a magnificent stained glass window in the shape of a star of David, the symbol of Judaism and the Jewish people. Pilasters and rich decor completed this solemn appearance, which made the synagogue an architectural dominant and a real decoration of the city.

The heart of the Jewish community.

The construction of such a large-scale religious building was not an accident. At the beginning of the 20th century, Borisov was one of the centers of Jewish life in the territory of modern Belarus. According to the 1897 census, Jews made up more than half of the 15,000 inhabitants of the city - about 7.7 thousand people, and by 1910 the number of the community exceeded 10.6 thousand.

There were more than 10 prayer houses in the city, a Talmud torah (religious school) and private schools, but it was the Great Synagogue that became the main spiritual center for local Jews. Not only the religious, but also the social life of the community, which was famous for its timber and bread trade with Riga and the Northern Black Sea coast, was in full swing here.

Years of hard times and loss of appearance.

The revolution and the subsequent Soviet anti-religious campaign dealt a devastating blow to the community. Already in the 1920s, the synagogue was looted and closed. In the 1930s, the building was turned over to the workers' club, which completely changed its function. The petitions of the Jewish proletariat for the redevelopment of the building were granted without delay.

However, the greatest damage to the architectural appearance was inflicted in 1962. During the so-called "reconstruction" the building was completely rebuilt and depersonalized. The second floor was rebuilt, the windows of the first floor were combed, changing their original shape, but the worst thing was that the entire exterior decor was completely destroyed. The pilasters, arched windows and the unique stained glass star of David, which was the soul of the facade, have disappeared. After this barbaric reconstruction, the former synagogue housed for many years first the city House of Pioneers, and then the House of Children's and Youth Creativity.

Oblivion and a new life.

The memory of Borisov's Jewish past was banned for decades. It was only in the 1990s, already in independent Belarus, that the Jewish community began the process of revival, raising the issue of the return of religious buildings. However, it was impossible to restore the former appearance of the Great Synagogue.

At the end of 2015, the building, which already bears little resemblance to a temple, was put up for auction. Today it is used as a shopping mall with office space. Nothing in its modern appearance betrays its former greatness. Only the walls of the unique architectural monument of the early 20th century remain, and its rich history is hidden under a layer of later alterations and commercial signage.

Nevertheless, for everyone who knows the history of Borisov, the building at 49 III International Street remains a mute witness to the complex and multifaceted fate of the city. It recalls the time when Borisov was an important center of Jewish culture, the tragedy of the Holocaust, which destroyed most of its inhabitants, and the era of unconsciousness, which wiped out its architectural symbols from the face of the city.

Today, this building is not just a retail outlet, but a historical monument that we have lost as an architectural object, but must preserve in our collective memory.