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Olkieniki front view -
Olkieniki ground plan -
Synagogue in Olkieniki. View from the north-west -
Interior of the synagogue in Olkieniki (wooden dome and finial of the Bimah) -
Interior of the synagogue in Olkieniki (Bimah) -
Interior of the synagogue in Olkieniki (Aaron ha-kodesh)
The synagogue in Olkieniki, Lithuania, was built in the late eighteenth century by the Jewish community living in this area. It was destroyed in World War II, in the wake of the Nazi invasion in June 1941.
The wooden building was erected on a low stone foundation. The synagogue consisted of a main domed hall adjoined from the west by a smaller room with projecting alcoves, and a women's gallery to the north. Unlike most synagogues with a similar layout, the south wall of the hall was not built-up. The main hall, high and nearly square in plan, measured 11.60 metre by 11.50 metre. It was partitioned by a wall with small openings. Lean-to and pyramid roofs were installed over the ground-floor rooms, while the main hall was covered with a three-eave mansard roof with a wide frieze between the lower and the upper sections. Two dormers, installed in the east and west slopes of the middle roof, illuminated the attic. Four internal pillars supported the trusses and the dome over the hall. The dome consisted of eight spherical triangles with a rosette key
The freestanding bimah, located between the pillars, was lavishly decorated, as was the wooden Aron Hakodesh. The latter was framed by columns in openwork and topped with a double-headed eagle with spread wings and a crown above.
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The wooden building was erected on a low stone foundation. The synagogue consisted of a main domed hall adjoined from the west by a smaller room with projecting alcoves, and a women's gallery to the north. Unlike most synagogues with a similar layout, the south wall of the hall was not built-up. The main hall, high and nearly square in plan, measured 11.60 metre by 11.50 metre. It was partitioned by a wall with small openings. Lean-to and pyramid roofs were installed over the ground-floor rooms, while the main hall was covered with a three-eave mansard roof with a wide frieze between the lower and the upper sections. Two dormers, installed in the east and west slopes of the middle roof, illuminated the attic. Four internal pillars supported the trusses and the dome over the hall. The dome consisted of eight spherical triangles with a rosette key
The freestanding bimah, located between the pillars, was lavishly decorated, as was the wooden Aron Hakodesh. The latter was framed by columns in openwork and topped with a double-headed eagle with spread wings and a crown above.
more about the project
more about the app
download the postcard