Płock, the synagogue, 2008

p>The photograph of the former so-called Small Synagogue at 7, Kwiatka Street in Płock from Wojciech Wilczyk’s project “There’s no Such Thing as an Innocent Eye” presents the southern and eastern façades of the building.The synagogue was built in the classicistic style in the first half of the 19th century. During World War II, the building was partially destroyed. After 1945, the synagogue housed the Jewish Committee and, from 1949, the Gershon Dua-Bogen Clothing-Knitting-Hosiery Cooperative. After 1992, the building was unused. In 2008, the authorities of Płock initiated the renovation of the former synagogue. Five years later, the Museum of Mazovian Jews was opened there.

The synagogue stands on a rectangular plan with dimensions of 12.6 by 22.8 m, with an outbuilding intended for the women’s prayer part, on a quadrilateral plan with approximate dimensions of 5.4 by 11.80 m. The building was covered with a six-slope roof. Inside, on the eastern wall, there is a wooden Aron Kodesh (cabinet for Torah scrolls). The lighting was provided by tall, arched windows.

The photo was taken by Wojciech Wilczyk in February 2008. The photographer captured the condition of the former synagogue before the renovation works began. At that time, the building was ruined, with a devastated interior, neglected façade and windows temporarily bricked up.

An article about the Small Synagogue in Płock can be found at: https://sztetl.org.pl/en/towns/p/414-plock/112-synagogues-prayer-houses-and-others/87926-synagogue-kwiatka-street

Krzysztof Bielawski