VIDIN SYNAGOGUE

The grand Vidin synagogue was constructed in 1894. Located at the intersection of today's Baba Vida and Jules Pascin streets, the Vidin Synagogue outshone all other synagogues in Bulgaria. Its architecture was inspired by the Great Synagogue of Budapest. Its ornaments were crafted out of wood from Transylvania and Hungary, and its chandeliers were imported from Vienna. 

The synagogue fell into disrepair after almost all of Vidin's Jews left for Israel in the late 1940s. In 1950 the Communist authorities turned it into a warehouse. In 1964 it was declared a monument of culture but plans to convert it into a concert hall never materialised. 

Today the Vidin Synagogue is a sorry sight. It still stands there with its domes and turrets on the bank of the Danube, but it is nothing but a skeleton. Its roof has caved in, its windows have been broken, its paint has peeled off, and its prayer hall has been overwhelmed by weeds and even trees. The only remains of its former grandeur are some intricately crafted wrought-iron ornaments and a few wooden Stars of David in the windows. The building is sometimes ringed with a wire fence, but the fence door is usually unlocked and unprotected. Enter at your own peril because the structure may collapse at anytime. 

In the late 2010s, the Shalom Organisation of Bulgarian Jews donated the synagogue and its plot of land to the Vidin City Council. The intention is to use EU funds to reconstruct it as a tourist information and cultural centre.