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 1993.[1]

Il Kal Grande
Il Kal Grandi
The former synagogue, in c. 1930s – c. 1940s
Religion
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism (former)
Ecclesiastical or organizational status
OwnershipBosnian Cultural Center
Status
  • Closed (as a synagogue);
  • Repurposed
Location
LocationSarajevo
CountryBosnia and Herzegovina
Il Kal Grande is located in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Il Kal Grande
Location of the former synagogue
in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Geographic coordinates43°51′26″N 18°25′19″E / 43.85720171284883°N 18.422037471148602°E / 43.85720171284883; 18.422037471148602
Architecture
Architect(s)Rudolf Lubinski
TypeSynagogue architecture
StyleMoorish Revival
Completed1930
Construction costYUM18 million
Destroyed16 April 1941 (partial)
Specifications
Capacity1,000 worshipers
Dome(s)One
Dome height (outer)36 metres (118 ft)
Official nameIl Kal Grande, the historic monument
TypeCategory II cultural property
DesignatedNovember 10, 2003
(decision No. 06-6-977/03-3)
Reference no.114
List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina

History

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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. The building was heavily damaged by the Nazis in 1941 during World War II, and the majority of the Jewish community was murdered in the Holocaust.

After WWII, all the Jews of Sarajevo used the Sarajevo Synagogue, the synagogue of the Ashkenazi community.

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 currently as the Bosnian Cultural Center.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Il, Michael (2 August 2023). "Synagogue, workers' university, cultural center". History and Cultural Heritage in Eastern Europe. Copernico. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
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