You should know that before World War II, the city was called the Jerusalem of Lithuania, due to the large presence of Jews. Unfortunately, the years of Nazism were hard years for Vilnius and for the Jewish population here!
The district, after the Independence was redeveloped and, today, the only original building is the Choral Synagogue, which stands majestically among the other buildings. The rest of the area was unfortunately destroyed by war and Soviet domination. Until the Second World War, the Jewish presence in Lithuania was very strong. Particularly in its main city where the Great Synagogue of Vilnius had already been inaugurated in 1633.
Therefore, between 1902 and 1903, the choral synagogue of Vilnius was also built according to the design of Dovydas Rosenhauzas. The architect revised the Moorish and neo-Byzantine elements in a decorative way.
He did so particularly on the façade where the central arch dominates the portals from a large semicircular window. Inside, on the other hand, the great blue dome of the choral synagogue of Vilnius lets down four pillars that circumscribe the central hall and support the galleries of the women’s gallery.
The Vilnius Choral Synagogue survived the Nazi period, but during the Communist period it was requisitioned and turned into a metal processing plant. Only with the end of the Soviet regime did the building become the property of the Jewish community again. And with the contribution of the World Monuments Fund in 2008, it was returned to its former glory.
