NEW PROPOSAL FOR THE FORMER SYNAGOGUE IN KIELCE

Abstract

The current trend of conservation of immovable monuments is – in addition to ongoing maintenance and protection – adaptation. Simply taking care of a monument is not an effective way to keep it in good repair if it is not used. Utility is the primary function of architecture, as buildings are erected for this purpose only. No building can survive without function, especially a centuriesold one. This is because the lack of a user condemns any monument to destruction, which leads to ruin and, ultimately, to demolition. Therefore, proper adaptation to new functions and current technical conditions is necessary. In the process of adaptation, all the heritage values of the object should be brought out and only then should new ones be introduced, taking into account the integrity of the monument and ensuring authenticity. Sacred architecture has special cultural and historical values, both tangible and intangible, i.e. spiritual. Continually discussed adaptations of religious buildings in the case of Judaic religious buildings destroyed and abandoned after World War II proved to be the best way to reclaim synagogues. The Kielce synagogue is one of the early examples of adaptation to another function. The building, destroyed during World War II, was rebuilt in the 1950s in a different form than the original one, for use as an archive. This historic building, however, has been standing useless for more than a decade now, and this fact has a destructive effect on its heritage value, therefore it is necessary to take action as soon as possible. Numerous concepts for this building located in a prestigious area in Kielce can be produced, which will be presented and evaluated in terms of substantive potential of utilizing its value in a new incarnation.