New Town Synagogue in Dębica

The New Town Synagogue in Dębica (ul. Krakowska 3) was built in the second half of the eighteenth century in the late baroque style. It is indicated on the Austrian land registration map from 1849. The prayer hall occupies the north-eastern part of the building and is based on a rectangular ground plan with dimensions of 16 by 30 m; there is a vestibule with a women's section on the upper floor. A nine-bay hall is spanned with a flat ceiling. The walls used to be decorated with paintings. The interior is now devoid of all traces of the original appliances. During World War II, the Nazis completely burned the interior of the synagogue. After 1945, the building was used as a grain storage and in 1954 it was renovated and used as a market hall. During those renovations, materials from the disassembled Old Town Synagogue in Wielopolska Street were used. In 1994, the building was renovated again as a museum, part of which was to be devoted to the history of the Jews of Dębica. Despite the destruction and neglect, many features of the original synagogue are still discernable. The layout of the prayer hall is nine-bay, featuring four massive interior piers. There are wall pilasters and round-headed windows typical of late baroque period. There is an information plaque outside the building; it explains the history of the synagogue.