What’s land recycling? Read about this German example
The city of Flensburg got a grant from the regional government of Schleswig-Holstein so that it would avoid building on new land
The historic building will house a division of the Alytus Ethnographic Museum
Crumbling masonry, missing wall bricks, dismantled doors and windows... Such was the condition of the Alytus Sinagogue in 2016, just before the start of the building’s restoration undertaken by Lithuania’s Cultural Infrastructure Centre (KIC).
Now, nearly five years later, the EUR 1 million renovation of the historic building is complete, says a post on the municipal Facebook page. Yesterday, the Mayor of Alytus City Municipality Nerijus Cesiulis, accompanied by A. Jakunskiene, Director of the Alytus Ethnographic Museum and cultural heritage experts inspected the site. Their conclusion was that minor shortcomings remain to be eliminated by the contractor.
Right afterwards, the Synagogue will be handed over to the Alytus Ethnographic Museum and will house one of its divisions – the Visual Arts Centre. The building will become a space for cultural events, hosting exhibitions, including a permanent display on local Jewish history, as well as conferences, seminars, educational programmes, book presentations, film screenings, etc.
The yellow-and-red brick synagogue was erected in 1911 after a fire raging through Alytus destroyed an older wooden synagogue built in 1856. Its function as a religious site ended with the demise of the city’s Jewish community in the Second World War. The looted and abandoned building stood empty for a long time, and during the Soviet era, it was used as a warehouse for salt, then as a chicken hatchery.
In spite of the synagogue’s bleak condition, some of the interior decorations survived, including polychrome paintings in the main sanctuary which were successfully renewed.
According to KIC data, costs for the restoration amounted to over EUR 1 million. Of this total, the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture allocated EUR 206 056 from European Union funds; Alytus City Municipality contributed EUR 238 504, and EUR 584 200 came from the funds of the Heritage Management Programme.
TheMayor.EU stands against fake news and disinformation. If you encounter such texts and materials online, contact us at info@themayor.eu
The goal is to preserve these traditional features in the urban landscape while finding new purpose for their existence
His name is Adrian-Dragoș Benea from Romania
Find out her vision for the next five years and what’s in store for the European Union
Gotland wants to be at the forefront of this emerging mobility technology
It’s all about preventing the habit of slowing down just for the radar
Landkreis Heilbronn will also enlist the help of sensors to identify incorrectly filled organic trash bins
Apparently, that makes it the most progressive city in that respect in all of Finland
Residents couldn’t handle the noise pollution anymore
The Old Continent gets ready for the largest festival of sports
Apparently, that makes it the most progressive city in that respect in all of Finland
The goal is to preserve these traditional features in the urban landscape while finding new purpose for their existence
Residents couldn’t handle the noise pollution anymore
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
An interview with the Mayor of a Polish city that seeks to reinvent itself
An interview with the newly elected ICLEI President and Mayor of Malmö
A conversation with the Mayor of Lisbon about the spirit and dimensions of innovation present in the Portuguese capital