croatian main place worship jewish community modern day croatia constructed demolished fascist authorities axis aligned croatia revival designed vienna located modern day street purpose built jewish house worship history city city prominent public buildings examples architecture region 1980s plans rebuild original location political circumstances limited progress major disagreements exist government jewish organizations involved decisions reconstruction project including proposed design character new building history encouraged tolerance emperor jews permanently settled late eighteenth century founded jewish community jewish community cemetery early community permitted buy land construction sufficient money finance time community grown members october year decision build new jewish construction committee appointed selected purchased parcel land corner street central town square new urban planning scheme reduced area available construction community decided buy parcel square metres approximately metres south original location design construction vienna born architect commissioned build representative romantic modeled building revival temple designed prototype design developed round arch style adopt early oriental motifs composition main facade dominant drawn elevated projection symmetrical lower lateral parts reflects internal division ground floor level distinguished arch entrance floor level high elevated arch occupied greater plot facing west street regulation line accordance rule enforced austria hungary prohibiting non catholic places worship having public entrance street wider slightly higher central nave narrower unlike vienna plan construction began completed following year officially consecrated september ceremony attended representatives city regional authorities public figures citizens prominent public building lower town architecture scale aroused general admiration praise 19th early 20th century new organ introduced religious service small minority orthodox jews found change began hold services separately rented rooms earthquake suffered minor damage repaired following year largely immigration hungary jewish population quickly grew size members members members small accommodate needs growing community renovation undertaken increase number available seats plan increase capacity seats ultimately abandoned central heating system installed demolition world war collapse axis invasion april war croatia created ruled extreme nationalist regime quickly started systematic persecution jews modeled nazi germany approach times brutal racial laws introduced jewish property confiscated jews subjected mass arrests death camps croatia abroad october newly installed mayor issued decree ordering demolition street ostensibly fit city master plan demolition began october proceeding slowly damage adjacent buildings finished april process photographed propaganda purposes photographs shown public exhibition held shown illustration solution jewish question croatia fragment film footage demolition discovered decades later film director research documentary feature decline century testimony seconds film survives footage shown wolf documentary produced valuable saved intervention entrepreneur industrialist lived door minister government close ambassador croatia significant political role croatia considered october learned regime plan start demolition following morning evening secretly relayed information chief night moved safety shortly destruction catholic archbishop delivered said house god faith holy thing pay lives world punished surviving fragments building wash basin memorial tables parts column saved pulled rubble shortly end world war wash basin memorial tables city museum column fragments kept reconstruction efforts croatian jews survived holocaust world war nearly half surviving members opted emigration israel community dropped tenth pre war membership yugoslav communist regime virtually real estate owned including plot street combined new regime general hostility religion reconstruction nearly impossible world war vacant site makeshift court court way department store building constructed department store completely destroyed fire december subsequently dismantled despite earlier ideas permanent department store building spot architecture competition design construction took place instead parcel turned parking lot remains day began consider jewish cultural center memorial architects participated failed department store competition came forward accord contributed ideas new jewish center street vision ultimately accepted jewish community instead plans construction cultural center following international architecture competition despite support project yugoslavia abroad issuance necessary permits stalled denied municipal government project developed present autumn democratic elections croatia municipal government finally approved project architectural competition planned january political turmoil country followed breakup yugoslavia croatian war independence caused project hold president said council member jewish community build new site funded croatian government declined offer believing inappropriate catholic churches left destroyed time croatian war independence meantime sought legally property croatian law enacted street parcel finally returned community december reconstruction activities investment study submitted government croatia july revised october architecture competition planned rift resulted formation splinter jewish community led september government croatia formed construction decided project estimated time million million partially financed government croatia jewish organizations represented involvement deemed unacceptable sole owner street property sees sole legal representative jewish community consequence community president refused participation project set conditions disagreements existed design character new building reconstruction feasible seriously contemplated general agreement new building cultural commercial purpose envisioned modern design reminiscent original advocated building replica original facade having powerful symbolism opinions architects urban planners art historians divided similar lines presented new plans multi purpose jewish center street
Zagreb Synagogue