Zaniomanskaja Synagogue

Zaniomanskaja Synagogue (Belarusian: Занёманская сынагога; Polish: Synagoga drewniana w Grodnie) was a vernacular wooden synagogue located in the city of Grodno. It was built in around 1750 in what was then the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The synagogue was damaged by a fire in 1899 and then rebuilt, adding two small corner buildings. It was ultimately destroyed by the Germans during World War II.[1][2]

Zaniomanskaja Synagogue in Grodno
Занёманская сынагога
Religion
Affiliation	Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Destroyed
Location
Location	Grodno, Grodno Region
Zaniomanskaja Synagogue in Grodno
Geographic coordinates	53°40′15″N 23°49′30″E
Architecture
Style	Wooden
Completed	around 1750
Destroyed	during World War II
Specifications
Length	28.5 m
Width	19 m
Height (max)	12.5 m

The building was 28.5 meters long, 19 meters wide and 12.5 meters high. There was a separate section for women in the northern and southern part of the ground floor and in the gallery.

The walls were richly decorated with biblical verses and prayers. The vault was especially richly decorated. Following the example of Polish landowners' seats, at the façade there were corner alcoves, often used in synagogues in the mid-18th century.

In the interbellum period (1918–1939), Professor Oskar Sosnowski from the Department of Architecture of the Polytechnic of Warsaw and photographer and art historian Szymon Zajczyk directed architects to create extensive documentation of the wooden synagogues. They created architectural drawings, replica paintings, and photographs. Much of this project was destroyed during World War II but a substantial amount survived.[3]

The synagogue in Grodno was measured and photographed in 1928. Today that documentation is all that remain of it.