Koprivnica Synagogue

Koprivnica Synagogue is a former synagogue in Koprivnica, Croatia.

Koprivnica Synagogue Koprivnička sinagoga
Koprivnica Synagogue on the postcard
Religion
Affiliation	Judaism
Rite	Ashkenazi
Leadership	Rabbi: Izrael Kohn
Status	From 2013, after restoration, concert hall
Location
Location	Koprivnica, Croatia
Architecture
Architect(s)	Hönigsberg & Deutsch
Style	Renaissance
Completed	1875

In 1869, around a hundred Jews lived in Koprivnica. Although relatively small, the Jewish community of Koprivnica funded the construction of the Koprivnica Synagogue. The synagogue was designed by the architectural firm Hönigsberg & Deutsch and built in 1875, along with a Jewish school. The location of the synagogue, in the heart of Koprivnica, was a prestigious choice at the time. In 1937, the synagogue was thoroughly remodeled by architect Slavko Löwy.

During World War II, the synagogue was destroyed and used as a prison. The organ and some other items from the synagogue were saved and are now preserved at the Koprivnica Museum. The Jewish community of Koprivnica was devastated during the war, with most of its members perishing in the Holocaust. The last rabbi of Koprivnica's Jewish community was Izrael Kohn who was taken to the Gospić concentration camp in the night between July 23 and July 24, 1941 and eventually died in Jasenovac.[1] Koprivnica Synagogue is one of the few synagogues in Croatia to survive the war. After the war, under the communist regime of SFR Yugoslavia, the synagogue was used as a tailoring factory and warehouse. Presently, a small Jewish community still exists in Koprivnica. In 2011, restoration of the Koprivnica Synagogue began and it was listed as a cultural monument.[2][3][4]