Renovation of the Former Synagogue in St. Pölten is on Schedule

Niederoesterreichische Nachrichten

German original: https://www.noen.at/st-poelten/kulturjahr-2024-renovierung-der-ehemaligen-synagoge-in-st-poelten-ist-im-zeitplan-373943698

At the end of the year, the renovation and adaptation of the former synagogue should be completed as planned. During a tour of the construction site, the managing director of NÖ Museum Betriebs GmbH Matthias Pacher emphasized: "We are on schedule and on budget."

By 2024, the former synagogue will shine in new splendor. A modern center for exhibitions, cultural events and history education is to be built there. The renovation came at just the right time for the roof. "It was really point 12 here. It was necessary to do something on the roof now," explains architect Wolfgang Pfoser. So the roof was covered with new sheet metal sheets. The former synagogue is already scaffolded, now the facade work is to follow. Heating will be provided by district heating in the future. The building is being optimized for this purpose. "New building components and changes to the old building will be thermally upgraded, and the insulation of the attic will also be carried out according to technical standards," says Pfoser.

The entire infrastructure has already been renewed. The shell of the bridge on the south side is also already visible. In the future, the former synagogue will be accessible barrier-free via a ramp from the promenade. There will be an elevator to reach the gallery and the Kantorhaus, the synagogue's annex. There, rooms will be created for the Injoest and the mediation activities. Together, the National Fund of the Republic of Austria, the Federal Office for the Protection of Monuments, the Province of Lower Austria and the City of St. Pölten are raising 4.6 million euros to make this Art Nouveau jewel by Theodor Schreier and Viktor Postelberg from 1913 open to the public. The opening is planned for April 18, 2024.

Former synagogue as cornerstone of the 2024 Year of Culture in St. Pölten

"In Lower Austria, we want to protect Jewish life, make history visible and culture tangible. We achieve this with numerous projects and art in public spaces, if we think of the memorials in Baden and in the Jewish cemetery in Krems or the planned Jewish campus in Sooß Castle. And we are also making an important contribution to this in particular with the renovation of the former synagogue in St. Pölten," says Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner. The former synagogue is to be an important part of the 2024 Year of Culture in St. Pölten. Mayor Matthias Stadler also sees the renovation of the building as an "explicit invitation to Jews to discover St. Pölten as a city worth living in, to enjoy culture here and to live".

Scientific director Martha Keil is also pleased with the progress of construction. She explains: "With the renovation and adaptation, not only necessary structural measures for the sustainable preservation of this Art Nouveau jewel are being taken, but also measures for a functional and contemporary mediation of history and event culture. With the programming of this new cultural center, we will bring close not only Jewish life destroyed in the Shoah, but also contemporary Jewish culture." Until the reopening, she invites visitors to view the current exhibit at the construction site fence.