Desecrated Synagogue / Swimming Pool, Poland

This desecrated synagogue once served the city’s Polish Jewish community, its story taking a deplorable turn during World War Two during the Nazi German occupation. This sacred building was converted into a swimming pool, and all of its original features were disrespectfully demolished or stripped out. This once beautiful blue synagogue is a voiceless casualty of the atrocities of the Holocaust, alongside the Jewish community that it once served.

I visited this former location during my Poland 2023 Road Trip.

History Of The Desecrated Synagogue

At the turn of the 20th century, the Jewish community made up around a quarter of the city’s population. It was a time of growth and prosperity, and a growing community would need a suitably large synagogue. Its design was striking, with an expansive floorplan shaped like an equal-armed cross. The domes would have been a well-recognised landmark on the city skyline, each was topped with a glistening Star of David.

World War II: Desecration and Re-purposing

When the Second World War swept across Poland, it wasn’t long before Wehrmacht soldiers arrived in the city. Soon after their arrival, they targeted the synagogue. In only a few weeks, the building was stripped down to a hollow shell. The copper domes, along with the Stars of David, were torn down. The windows and doors were altered as well, as a further attempt to erase the building’s identity. Ultimately, the synagogue was converted into a swimming pool and leisure facility for the occupying German soldiers.

Of course, the synagogue was not their only target in the city. It was one facet of a meticulous campaign to empty the region of jews (“Judenrein“). Those that hadn’t fled before the German soldiers arrived, were deported or sent to labour camps (or sent directly to death camps from 1943).

Post-War: Community Swimming Pool, and Restitution

When the war ended, the city municipal authorities continued to operate the swimming pool as a community service. The remaining Jewish community made appeals to restore the Temple, but these pleas went unanswered for many years. For fifty years, the swimming pool continued to operate. Finally, in the early 2000s the building was finally restituted to the Union of Jewish Religious Communities in the Republic of Poland. They hoped to transform it into a Center for Judaism and Dialogue. However, despite promises of funding from local authorities, seemingly no financial support materialised.

The synagogue-turned-pool continued operating, generating some income to support at least some of the growing building maintenance costs. The swimming pool continued to operate for around a decade before it closed down.

A Desecrated Synagogue, Left in Limbo

Ultimately, the community lacked the funds to transform the derelict building and bring it back into use. Shortly before the pandemic broke out, the building was sold to a private investor. Since then, no new plans and no work has begun on site. The once-beautiful synagogue, remains in a state of limbo and left to deteriorate further.

A large fire broke out in the summer of 2023, this reignited public outcry. 2,000 signature strong petition called for the building to be properly secured and preserved.