Five Architectural Drawings of the Stara Synagogue in Lodz, Warsaw: Adolf Zeligson,1896

Ink and watercolor on paper



1. Interior, north elevation (11¼  x  21¾  in.; 285 x 545 mm) (matted together with #2)



2. Three floor plans (11¼  x  23 in.; 285 x 585 mm)



3. Exterior elevation, western entrance (15½   x  23¼  in.; 395 x 590 mm)



4. Interior elevation, eastern wall (12½   x  15½  in.; 318 x 395 mm)



5. Exterior elevation (12½  x 23½ in.; 320 x 595 mm)

Shimon Huberband, "The Destruction of the Synagogues in Lodz", in Lodz Ghetto: Inside a Community Under Siege by A. Adelson  and R. Lapidus et al,  New York: 1989

Ink and watercolor on paper 1. Interior north elevation (11¼ x 21¾ in.; 285 x 545 mm) (matted together with #2) 2. Three floor plans (11¼ x 23 in.; 285 x 585 mm) 3. Exterior elevation, western entranceway (15½ x 23¼ in.; 395 x 590 mm) 4. Interior elevation, eastern wall (12½ x 15½ in.; 318 x 395 mm) 5. Exterior elevation (12½ x 23½ in.; 320 x 595 mm)
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These finely rendered architectural drawings document the renovations that were planned for the oldest synagogue in Lodz, the Orthodox "Altshtot" (Old Town) or "Stara" synagogue.  Lodz, situated in the Polish heartland was a leading center of the textile industry.  The Jews played an important role in this industry and the Jewish community in Lodz was the second largest in Poland.  The first synagogue in Lodz was built  in 1809  at 8 Wolborska Street on a plot of land purchased from Józef Aufschlag, a lieutenant in the National Guard.  It was constructed entirely out of wood  and was constantly in need of repairs and renovations. In 1854, the synagogue was officially closed because of fears that it would simply collapse (unofficially, however, services were held there until 1861). The rapid growth of the Jewish community forced it to build a new, more solid edifice. Jan Karol Merschling designed the new structure and construction began in 1859. This new  brick building located on 20 Wolborska Street was built in a neo-mannerist style. It was opened in 1861 although construction was not entirely finished until 1871. The slow pace of work was the result of a financial crisis that affected the Jewish community of Lodz at the time.

The present group of architectural drawings were created for the last major renovation which took place from 1897 to 1900. The plans for this final renovation were designed by Adolf Zeligson, a well-known Lodz architect.  Zeligson, who signed these plans, continued the oriental theme of both the facade and the interior.

According to Shimon Huberband (1909-1942), who while living in the Warsaw Ghetto collaborated in the Oyneg Shabes archive and documented the response of religious Jews of Poland to the Holocaust:

"The synagogue was very tall and beautiful. It contained two women's galleries. In all, it held fifteen hundred seats. There were thirty-six Torah scrolls in the synagogue and a large amount of silver Torah ornaments, including many antique works of art. All official public ceremonies took place in this synagogue ... "

The entire synagogue, with all its interior fixtures and Torah scrolls was burned to the ground on the night of November 15-16, 1939 during the Nazi occupation. No trace of the synagogue remains today.