The Space of Synagogues, Lviv/Ukraine

“Where is Jewish Lviv? Where are its roughly 45 synagogues and prayer houses which are said to have existed until World War II? At first glance, any trace of this religious life seems obliterated, despite all the historic building fabric which has survived centuries in this city.” (Katharina Schubert in “Jüdische Gedenkorte in Lviv – eine Bestandsaufnahme”, 2007)

In the historic centre’s Jewish quarter, the Nazis destroyed two important synagogues as well as a school building. The scope and density of preserved traces, their present perceptibility and former integration vary. This variance is translated to three different spatial situations and atmospheres: authentic, animate, abstract. They compose an ensemble of three different characteristic spaces to access history and gravity of the location. Carefully and diligently adapted interventions support the legibility of the place without obstructing or overloading it.