Szolnok

Similarly to other towns, the Szolnok community could only be formed officially after 1840. Some Jews however were allowed to settle in the town earlier under individual permits. The grandiose synagogue designed by architect Lipót Baumhorn was built in 1898 on the banks of the River Tisza, in a parkland area. The old synagogue continued to serve the Orthodox community. The great synagogue of Szolnok was one of Baumhorn’s early works and thus displays architectural solutions reminiscent of his master, Ödön Lechner and also elements of his own style that came into fruition later. The ground plan of the dome covered building is rectangular. Some 800 of the 2,000 member Szolnok Jewish community were murdered during the Holocaust. The Holocaust and the wave of emigration during the 1950s had a catastrophic impact on the community, which was no longer able to maintain the synagogue and decided to sell the building. The town had the building renovated in 1972 and transformed it into an exhibition hall, the Szolnok Gallery. The Torah Ark was kept, interior fixtures and the religious symbols however were not, and the interior was painted all white. Today, the Jewish community uses a smaller prayer room for services. The old Orthodox synagogue was demolished along with an entire neighborhood after the war.