Il Kal Grande
Synagogue in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Il Kal Grande, also spelled Il Kal Grandi (Judaeo-Spanish: The Great Synagogue), is a former Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The congregation worshiped in the Sephardi rite. The building has been used as a cultural center since 1946.[1]
- Synagogue (1930–1941)
- University (1965–1993)
- Cultural center (since 1993)
- Closed (as a synagogue);
- Repurposed
| Il Kal Grande Il Kal Grandi | |
|---|---|
The former synagogue, in c. 1930s – c. 1940s | |
  Location in Bosnia and Herzegovina  Il Kal Grande (Sarajevo) | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism (former) |
| |
| Ownership | Bosnian Cultural Center |
| Status |
|
| Location | |
| Location | Sarajevo |
| Country | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
 Interactive map of Il Kal Grande Il Kal Grandi | |
| Coordinates | 43°51′26″N 18°25′19″E |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Rudolf Lubinski |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Style | Moorish Revival |
| Completed | 1930 |
Construction cost | YUM18 million |
| Destroyed | 16 April 1941 (partial) |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1,000 worshipers |
| Dome | One |
Dome height (outer) | 36 metres (118 ft) |
Designated as NHL | |
Official name | Il Kal Grande, the historic monument |
| Type | Category II cultural property |
| Designated | November 10, 2003 (decision No. 06-6-977/03-3) |
| Reference no. | 114 |
| National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| Location of the building in local neighborhood | |
History
The large synagogue was constructed in the Moorish Revival style in 1930, by a design of the architect Rudolf Lubinski. It was the largest and most ornate synagogue in the Balkans. It included a large, ornately decorated prayer-hall, a smaller prayer-hall for use during the week, a genizah, rooms for the rabbi and various other utilities since the building was meant to serve not only as a synagogue, but also as a community center. The building was consecrated in 1930 in a ceremony attended by the chief rabbi of Yugoslavia Dr. Isaac Alcalay, chief Sephardic rabbi of Sarajevo Dr. Moritz Levy and chief Ashkenazi rabbi of Sarajevo Dr. Hinko Urbach, among others.[2]
The building was heavily damaged and looted by the Nazis in 1941 during World War II, with the majority of the Jewish community being murdered in the Holocaust.
After WWII, all of the Jews in Sarajevo ended up using the Sarajevo Synagogue, the synagogue of the Ashkenazi community.
In 1946 Jewish community reached an agreement with the city's new government to donate the building to the City of Sarajevo, which was to be used exclusively for cultural purposes.[1] The exterior of "Il Kal Grande" was restored in a simplified secular form in 1965, and the former dome was replaced with a flat roof. The building was initially used as the Đuro Đaković Workers University Center and is in use currently as the Bosnian Cultural Center.[1][3]
