Description
The project ensures the safeguarding of important cultural heritage for future generations and it stimulates public access to this heritage.The goal of the project is to carry out restoration of the Great synagogue of Ludza, creating an exposition of the Ludza ghetto, a multi-media exposition of photographer Wolf Frank’s and cinema-documentalist Herz (Herzel) Frank’s works, and an audio-visual exposition of the history of Jews in Ludza in order to ensure the preservation of this important cultural heritage and make it accessible in the best possible quality to society. Within the framework of the project, a new sightseeing object will be created in Ludza, which will inform people about the great contribution of the Jewish community in this area to the history of Ludza, Latgale region and Latvia. The Museum Centre Hordaland (Norway) is the donor project partner in this project.
Summary of project results
The Great synagogue of Ludza is a culture (architecture) monument of state importance and it is the oldest synagogue in Latvia and Baltic States. It is located in the area of another monument – the Historical Centre of Ludza Town. The Synagogue is considered to be a unique cultural monument of Jewish in the north-eastern Europe, which mostly have been lost elsewhere in Europe during the 20th century. In order to keep the cultural and historical heritage and to ensure qualitative access to culture services for the society, the synagogue building will be restored and expositions will be created in the project. The synagogue was restored using the best practices an the interior of the synagogue was restored keeping the authenticity. Approximately 65 % of the historical wall rendering has been kept authentic and partially restored.The large prayer room with the only wooden board cupola in the Baltic region, built in the 17th-18th century according to Polish synagogue traditions, was restored. The most significant result of the project is the created partnership with the Museums Centre in Hordaland which included 6 expert visits and 5 practical workshops for craftsmen training and exchange of experience. The newly acquired knowledge are the added value of the project because educated restorers could use the gained knowledge in their work. After the restoration the Great Synagogue is opened to the public and it operates as a branch of the local history museum. There are additional results in the project - four expositions that were not financed by the project, but were created in the project. The project has been awarded: silver prize in Restoration category at the annual Latvian Architecture Awards 2017; First place in Restoration category at the annual Latvian Construction Awards 2016.
Summary of bilateral results
Within the framework of the project related to restoration of Ludza Great Synagogue in Latvia 7 craftsmen from Ludza municipality visited project partners - experts of the Museum Centre in Hordaland for the knowledge and experience exchange. The project partner experts organized a workshop, where the craftsmen got practical skills in window restoration. The project partner's experts participated at the restoration workshops in Latvia and were closely involved in the implementation of the project. That helped to reach the best result in the project and to collaborate for the better results and outcomes in the project. The partnership helped to create the further possible international cooperation.