Timişoara kicks off collaboration with World Monuments Fund for refurbishment of Fabric Synagogue

The city of Timişoara, in western Romania, and the World Monuments Fund (WMF) signed on Thursday, October 17, the memorandum of understanding for the rehabilitation of the Fabric Synagogue.

The synagogue is the only historical monument in the country that the New York-based WMF included in 2022 on the list of cultural sites whose preservation is of vital importance and which will also benefit from funding for rehabilitation work. It was selected alongside 24 other cultural sites from Australia, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe from a total of 225 nominations from around the world.

At the end of 2023, Timișoara took over the administration of the synagogue, a historical monument part of the Fabric Urban Ensemble, from the Jewish community in the city.

The municipality's collaboration with WMF involves both WMF expertise and funds.

The municipality is currently in the process of acquiring the services related to safeguarding the monument. In the long term, the city aims to return the building to the local community to be used for cultural purposes and not only.

"One thing is particularly important to me in how we transition from the safekeeping phase to the development phase of the project: we don't just want to renovate a building. We want to give this place back to the community," Dominic Fritz, the mayor of Timișoara, said.

The Fabric Synagogue, located in one of the historical districts of Timișoara, was built between 1885 and 1889 in neo-Moorish style, according to the plans of the Hungarian architect Lipót Baumhorn, who conceived, among others, the Neolog synagogues in Brașov and Seghedin. It stands on the bank of an older branch of the Bega river. It is similar to the synagogues in Rijeka, Szolnok, and Becicherecul Mare.

A Watch Day event focused on the synagogue is scheduled for October 18. The Watch Day concept, launched in 2012, promotes the importance of strong community and local government commitment to the preservation of heritage sites. In time, more than 130 historic sites around the world included in the World Monuments Watch program have hosted Watch Day events, ranging from conservation workshops, and drawing competitions to site clean-up days, exhibitions, guided site visits and more.

(Photo: Diana J | Dreamstime.com)