The Budyna nad Ohří synagogue has been declared a real-estate cultural monument by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and is owned by the town of Budyna nad Ohří. The city repairs cultural monuments in the town's budyna nad Ohří monument zone each year with financial assistance from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and financially supports repairs of cultural monuments under private ownership. The synagogue began to be repaired in 2019 and repairs continued in 2020. In the same year, the city submitted an application to the Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic for a grant to repair the synagogue from EEA/Norway funds 2014 - 2021. The application was approved by the Ministry of Finance under project number KU-CH1-052, which runs from 1.4.2021 to 30.4.2024. The whole project is carried out with the cooperation of the Beneficiary (town of Budyna nad Ohří, Czech Republic) and the Norwegian Partner (Stil Service Martin Funda, Selbu, - Flora, Norway). Both the beneficiary and the Partner proceed under the Partnership Contract so that the project proceeds to its proper and timely completion.
The revitalization of the synagogue in Budyn nad Ohří consists of the restoration of the synagogue's original form and significance according to preserved historical sources, which is currently in a state of emergency, with the threat of total destruction.
The synagogue was built in the first half of the 18th century as a wooden structure that was converted into a wall with elements of classicism and rococo. It served the local Jewish community until World War II. During the war period, the building was used as a warehouse, for which it was also constructed. To this day, the building has not been restored, with severe static disturbances such as deformation of the ceiling and walls, deflection of the perimeter wall. The building is currently closed to the public.
The implementation of the project will result in static securing of the building incl. the execution of building modifications, the remediation of the masonry and the addition of a women's gallery incl. a pair of wooden columns. There will also be the creation of a shrine incl. a stage and all the elements evident from the historical photographs, including the addition of layers of floors and the synagogue's basic mobiliare. In the interior there will be restoration of historical excavations incl. siding.
The exterior of the facade will be restored, the window, door panels and fillings will be returned, roofing and stairways will be replaced. The project will also include the construction of emergency social facilities and a minor modification of external areas incl. the entrance to the cellar.
Overall, the aim of the project is to revitalize the monument and restore it to its form and function for worship and cultural purposes. The target groups, in addition to the general public, are the predominantly Jewish community. The city's oldest Jewish settlement has been documented since the first half of the 16th century and there are two Jewish cemeteries.
The partnership of the project will be implemented with the Norwegian partner. The involvement of the partner in the project will be carried out in the field of expertise in the preparation of the restoration of furniture and other antique items, followed by the organisation of seminars on the reconstruction of real estate properties in the Czech Republic and Norway aimed at the transfer of good experience.
The applicant is the town of Budyne nad Ohří, which is the owner of the synagogue premises.
Budyne nad Ohří is a town in the District of Litoměřice located near the Ohře River. The little Ohra arm partly flows through the town itself. Its historic core has been an urban heritage site since 1992. According to official information, there are approximately 2,200 residents permanently living in the city.
The oldest Jewish settlement of Budyna nad Ohří has been documented since the first half of the 16th century. In 1638 the local community numbered 11 families, in 1724 there were already 22 families (104 persons), in 1783 a total of 34 families, in 1880 there were 113 persons and in 1930 (in the census) there were 39 persons. There was a ghetto in the town, located north of the square. It was founded as early as the 16th century, and still remains a part of the houses in the remodeling. About 200 metres from the square, there is a synagogue in Ostrovní Street. Originally a wooden synagogue, it was rebuilt in the first half of the 19th century into a brick late-Classical building with a late rococo front. Active until the Second World War, it is now under repair and is a cultural monument. There were two Jewish cemeteries in Budynia. The old cemetery was located at the city walls at the northwestern bastion. In 1787, it was closed down and phased out. The newer cemetery is located about a kilometer southeast of downtown Budynna in the middle of the fields. Dating back to 1785, it contains some 200 tombstones and features a New Romanesque ceremonial hall. The cemetery is enclosed by a perimeter wall and is locked. In 2002, reconstruction began.
4.1. Description partner organization
Stil Service Martin Funda is engaged in business activity in the restoration and restoration of antique furniture for private individuals, cultural monuments and antique shops.
The partner has been involved in restoration for 15 years and has gained a lot of practical experience in the field of antique furniture restoration of all categories and styles. Based on the survey, the restorer develops a plan for the following activity. For wooden furniture, they must remove woodworm and traces of its activity and the like. The final stage of the restoration consists of retouching, refilling missing parts and surface treatment of those lots that have been destroyed, preferably so as not to disturb the overall impression. Finally, the result is documented again and a report is written on the work carried out.
As part of its activities, it also provides equipping of hotels, churches and cultural monuments and the preparation of interior design concepts in these styles.
Another activity of the partner is running a guesthouse with a restaurant, which offers all sorts of themed events related to the hospitality industry. The guesthouse is situated in the small village of Flora, located in a river valley not far from the town of Selbu in central Norway, roughly an hour and a half from Trondheim city car ride and Stjordal local airport. At the same time, the partner has experience in restoring historical monuments, having reconstructed this guesthouse, which is around 100 years old and originally served as a former primary school. Partner's website: www.floraherregaard.com
4.2. Description and relevance of the partnership
The involvement of the partner in the project will take place in the field of expertise in the preparation and concept of fitting out real estate cultural monuments and consulting on the restoration of furniture and other antique items.
Another activity of engagement will be to pass on examples of good practice of reconstruction of real-estate historic buildings by organising seminars with the professional public in the Czech Republic and Norway.
The construction activity will regularly consult the construction contractor, project manager and partner. Equipment and furniture to be sourced and, where appropriate, restored will be regularly consulted. After completion of the construction part, two seminars will take place on the topic of the revitalization of real estate cultural monuments in the Czech Republic in the revitalized building and guest house of a partner in Norway. These seminars will be held with the participation of expert members from the historical institute, local action groups, representatives of the investor and local municipalities and invited experts who focus on the theme of restoration and restoration of cultural heritage.
The output of this activity will be the creation of a final report and publication from the conclusions of the transmission of examples of good practice of reconstruction of real estate historical objects. These outputs will be presented on the project website.
Another collaborative support activity will be the mutual promotion of tourism, namely the promotion of the boarding house and its partner area, through the creation of printed matter located in the information centres of the applicant and the partner. This mutual activity will continue after the end of the project - within the sustainability period of the project.
The partner will actively participate in the position of project management member and its remuneration for administrative and advisory work is included in the project budget.
The bilateral partnership under this project will contribute significantly to strengthening bilateral relations, especially in the area of sharing examples of good practice, mutual ly enhancing knowledge in the area of cultural monument revitalization and mutual understanding of business, Czech Republic and Norway.
5.1. The project's initial status and intent
Since World War II, the object has been unused and unmaintained for a long time. The current state of the structures is in very poor technical construction condition. The roof structure leaks, and this helps to further degrade the supporting structure. The supporting structure is compromised by a system of cracks, which in some cases are alarming. The structure of the north perimeter wall is bulging along the entire length. Some elements are missing from the roof structure. Significant degradation is also visible on the outside walls, which are salted and damp.
Interior plasterwork is also damaged, with the original historical paintings shining through in places.
According to the SAO, the existing condition requires expert intervention and stabilisation of the structures in order to prevent further damage to the external and internal space and the progressive deterioration.
In 2019, some securing work has already begun to avoid the collapse of the synagogue, namely the exposure of the vault support structures.
According to the binding opinion of the monuments, the proposal for repairs is considered desirable as the desired repairs of the badly disturbed and deteriorating building will take place.
5.2. The rationale behind the project proposal
The need for a priority solution to the current situation is based primarily on the building's emergency status and efforts to save a significant real estate cultural heritage. Another source of need to realize the object is the support of the Jewish minority and the general public for worship and cultural purposes.
The Budynian Synagogue is one of the few documents of the existence and life of the Jewish community in the city that has been documented there since the 16th century. It is now the only easily identifiable monument of the Budyn Jewish Quarter, complete with several converted houses in its vicinity. The synagogue in Budynia is complemented by a small fund of this type of construction in the Ústí Region and throughout the country, which, due to historical developments since the second half of the 1930s and insensitive treatment after the Second World War, left little to be desired. The mass solution of the Budyn synagogue is heavily involved in the urbanism of the entire city.
According to the statement of the SAO, the value of the building is not only architectural-historical, but also socio-cultural. As mentioned above, from a regional perspective it is a source of knowledge of the life of the Jewish community in Budyn nad Ohří, on a scale trans-regional is a reminder of events and developments following the signing of the Munich Agreement.
The values of the building are also preserved elements in the interior - a noticeable painting of plasters, a niche for a Torah box, parts of floors or massive pilasters and vaults. This building monument has great scientific and research potential. As Miroslav Novotný, co-author of the construction-historical survey of the structure, writes: "An integral part of the worthy interior is the historic decoration (painting) of the plaster, which can be observed in places and which deserves its own more detailed exploration and appreciation."
Based on the above, it is clear that the synagogue is highly authentic due to its age (it is one of the oldest synagogues in the region), uniqueness and originality of the architectural solution, with these attributes representing its basic and therefore most important monumental values.
5.3. Objective and expected contribution of the project
The main objective of the project is the complete revitalization and preservation of the real estate cultural heritage - the synagogue building located on lot No. 10 in Budyn nad Ohří and making it available to the public.
The project focuses mainly on regionally important real estate cultural heritage, which has a significant socio-cultural social impact. The project addresses not only the restoration and preservation of the monument, but also maximum access to the general public and Jewish communities within the religious and cultural aspects.
Accessibility will be addressed in the form of tours at the Budyn nad Ohří infocentre, where tours of the castle and cultural and social events are currently carried out. At the same time, the project involves creating a new job - a guide to the synagogue object.
The project envisages that after a complete reconstruction, the synagogue will serve worship and cultural purposes. There will be tourist tours, exhibitions, concerts and the like. Local museums, galleries, the Memorial Institute, the Terezín Monument and other organizations and communities working together with the town of Budyně nad Ohří will collaborate on these activities.
The city's intention is to build a permanent exhibition on the life of the Jewish community before World War II in cooperation with the Terezín Memorial and the Terezín Ghetto Museum, or the Federation of Jewish Communities in Prague. At the same time, the exhibition would be fully digitized and placed in an interactive form on the synagogue project's website. With the Terezín memorial, which will be visited by approximately 300,000 people per year, the city has already discussed future cooperation in the use of the synagogue. Cooperation opportunities are guided tours of the Budyna n.O. synagogue with the Terezín Memorial.
Barrier-free use of the facility will be allowed in part on the 1st floor. At the same time, barrier-free use of the toilet for the immobile is envisaged. For this reason, it is also envisaged to carry out access communication from stone slabs of greater widths so as to enable persons with reduced mobility to have seamless access to social facilities. The toilet for immobile is designed as a no-go according to Decree No. 398/2009 Coll. "On general technical requirements ensuring barrier-free use of structures" as amended.
5.4. Target groups of the project
The project's target groups include residents of Budyn nad Ohří, tourists and the Jewish minority.
Cultural and social events such as concerts, exhibitions and likenesses will be organised for the general public, i.e. the residents of Budyna nad Ohří. The way to reach this target group will be through the city's social networks, the city's newsletter, the city's website and the project, and local radio.
Another target group is tourists. For them, there will be tourist tours, exhibitions and a permanent exhibition on the life of the Jewish community before World War II. The form of address in this case will be through paid advertisements in the media, a social media campaign and the project's website, cooperation with the Terezín Memorial, printouts and prospectuses of the town of Budyně nad Ohří.
The target group is also the Jewish minority and Judaism-oriented people. Regular services and related spiritual events will be held for this group. In this case, there will be outreach through cooperation with the Federation of Jewish Communities in Prague and the synagogue website. The implementation of the project will strengthen the socio-cultural environment in Budyn nad Ohří and the surrounding area and strengthen the regional importance of the city within the cultural heritage.
6.1 Project relevance
The project clearly contributes to the restoration of cultural heritage sites through its main activity. Revitalization will result in a salvage-authentic decaying monument that is in danger of collapse. At the same time, the project will significantly strengthen the socio-cultural environment in Budynia nad Ohří and strengthen the regional importance of the city within the cultural heritage. The innovative use of the facility is planned in the form of a digitized interactive exposition about the life of the Jewish minority before the Second Sentence War located on the project's website.
At the same time, the project supports the cultural heritage of the Jewish minority and activities geared towards promoting the empowerment of Jewish culture and the understanding of historical moments for younger generations.
6.2 Purpose of the project
The purpose of the project is to strengthen the management of cultural heritage through the revitalization of the synagogue in Budynia nad Ohří and the opening of this cultural monument to the public as well as its activities, which include a permanent exhibition on the life of the Jewish minority, exhibitions, concerts, services and other cultural and social events.cultural and social events.
The content of this activity is the complete revitalization of the synagogue in Budyn nad Ohří.
Exterior - restoration of the ornate western facade will be carried out, incl. an extension of the lee. The window and door panels will be restored (considered for the whole object), the fillings will be added (with the maximum possible use of the original preserved elements). A stone plinth will be installed in the western facade. On the north facade, the entrance to the women's gallery will be restored. Access will be made possible by a steel staircase (a modern-day, steel staircase requiring a high level of craftsmanship). Roofing will be replaced at the roof (the type and composition will be retained - tz. roof ceramic tile beaver - scale laying). A forged Star of David will be installed at the top of the west facade. The colour of the facade will be specified on the basis of an in-depth restoration survey (assumption of adherence to the colour ingress indicated on the colored historical drawing).
Interior - static securing will be carried out, incl. carrying out building modifications. The masonry will then be cleaned up. A women's gallery including a pair of wooden columns will be added. At the site of the existing niche in the east wall will be created a shrine (aaron), incl. a stage (bima) and all the elements, evident from the historical photograph (stone steps, vertical wooden sill, banister on the edge of the bima, pair of built-in cabinets in the masonry, etc.). Existing surviving segments of floor layers will be added. The design documentation addresses the addition of the synagogue's basic mobiliare - benches, reading console, ornate chandeliers, kijor, cash register, etc.
There will be restoration, restoration and replenishment of the ornate historical excavations of the entire interior, including the window and door sidings. These are currently covered by a layer of lime paint. A high degree of decorating has been found at the sites of the restoration survey probes, which will be restored (incl. the canopy behind the aron) - see restoration survey.
Part of the revitalization of the synagogue building is also the building of emergency social facilities and the modification of external areas incl. the entrance to the basement.
Emergency social facilities - this is conceived in the backyard. It is designed as a classic courtyard installation - tz. a simple rectangular shape with a counter top. The building will be lined with wood. The facility will contain social facilities with dimensions and equipment corresponding to the requirements for wc immobile. The facility will house a storage facility for tools and synagogue maintenance.
External surfaces - this is a courtyard and space (widths of about 1.2m) in front of the synagogue (at the entrance). The area will be newly sprung into backyard inlets - basalt cuts of the same colour and method of laying as in the city centre will be used as a surface. The access walkway to the emergency social facilities will be made of granite wide slabs that will pass freely into the area of basalt detachments. In the yard will be newly reinforced fence wall, further two entrance gates will be implemented. One tree (hawthorn) will be planted in the yard area, louvres ("dog wine") will be installed at the new enclosure wall - making outdoor alterations - see separate drawing.
The synagogue building is designed as a barrier-free level 1.NP. The ground floor of the facility can be accessed by mobile roll-on ramps for immobile citizens (see mobiliare listing). A standby toilet in the courtyard tract is considered as a no-go - according to Decree No. 398/2009 Coll. "On general technical requirements ensuring barrier-free use of structures" as amended.
MUBudyne
