Choral Synagogue (Smolensk)

It was built between 1844 and 1863.[1] Up to 1918 it served as the Main Synagogue of Galicia within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After World War II Drohobych belonged to the Soviet Union. The authorities converted the building to a warehouse and altered it accordingly. In later years it deteriorated. After Ukraine gained its independence it was returned to the Jewish community. Renovation started in 2014. It was completed in 2018

The style of the three-story building is a variant of the then-popular Round-arch style. The entry is framed by massive pilasters, surmounted by a decorated gable. Two windows are placed above it vertically. A larger gable, crowned by the tablets of the law surrounds the entry treatment. It again is supported on pilasters capped by decorative towers. Between the pilasters are vertical rows of three windows. The edges of the building's main facade a framed again by pilasters and topped by (smaller) towers. Another set of windows fills the space between the pilasters. This motif is repeated on all the facades, though on the N and S facades the three vertical windows are replaced by a three-story tall, round-headed window, and on the E facade, backing the Torah ark, the centre window of the three is round.

The two outer bays of the facade are stair towers, the building is actually as wide as the three central bays. The stairs lead to the two women's galleries, both of which are located above the entryway.

The main hall (the prayer hall of the men) is of the nine-bay type, a structure to be found in some synagogues of the early 17th century like the Great Suburb Synagogue in Lviv and the Great Maharsha-Synagogue in Ostroh. That is four supports arranged in a square in the centre of the space visually divides it into nine units. The Bimah stood in the centre between the pillars.

The Choral Synagogue in Drohobych is the largest Jewish prayer house in all of Eastern Galicia. In addition, the synagogue was built in 1865 and is one of the oldest buildings in the city of Drohobych. The project for the construction of the Drohobych synagogue was implemented for about 20 years and became possible thanks to the activists of the Jewish community of Drohobych. The synagogue itself is made in the Neo-Romanesque style, and the prototype of its facade is the synagogue in Kassel, Germany. Thanks to the majestic columns and exquisite bas-relief, the building acquired a monumental appearance. For a long period the Choral Synagogue was the center of the cultural and religious life of the Jews in the city of Drohobych. But with the outbreak of World War II, the situation changed. The building was desecrated and soon turned into a warehouse. With the restoration of the Soviet regime in Drohobych, the synagogue was also used as a warehouse. During the thaw period, the building was converted into a furniture store, and extensions into food stalls.

However, the Jewish community of Drohobych was determined to regain their legal property and in the 1990s, by decision of the city authorities, the building was transferred to the community. But due to acts of vandalism that followed later, the building was looted and set on fire. In the 2000s, the Jewish community of Drohobych, together with Jewish charitable foundations and philanthropists, began a large-scale reconstruction of the city synagogue. And in July 2018, the grand opening of the restored synagogue took place.