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Krasnik
The early history of Kraśnik is not known. Historians believe that by the late 12th or early 13th century there was already a settlement here, which was on the trade route between Kraków and Kiev. It served as a trading point between Ruthenia and Little Poland that offered merchants both security and services. Kraśnik received its municipal charter in the late 14th century, though Jews were not allowed to settle until the 16th century when the privilegia de non tolerandis Judaeis was finally rescinded.
The first wooden synagogue was built in the last decade of the 16th century, though the great fire of 1637 destroyed it, along with a majority of the town. During the Chmielnicki uprising, a majority of the Jewish inhabitants were killed by the Cossacks, while the Swedes destroyed the town with their excessive tributes during their military campaigns. To this devastation, one must add the annual pogroms organized by Kraśnik's Christian population in celebration of Fat Thursday. Attempts were also made at forcing Jews to live in close proximity to the synagogue, though the burgeoning Jewish population made this difficult; Jews began to settle in more and more areas of the city. A testament to this growth was the fact that two synagogues stood next door to one another. The older of the two, built between 1637 and 1654, was divided into two parts: a prayer hall for men to which a vestibule for women was later added. Next to the "old" synagogue stands its annex, which was added in the first half of the 19th century when its "neighbor" was no longer able to hold all of the town's faithful.
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When one currently looks at the walls, one can glean from the traces of the polychrome interior that that remain that both buildings were once richly adorned. Between the windows on the side walls, one can still see the remains of the frescos of thick drapes, while the western wall retains vestiges of the behemoth and the leviathan, the meat of which will be eaten by the righteous on the advent of the messiah. During the years after the war, both buildings were turned into workshops and storehouses of the local agricultural cooperative, but as the buildings further deteriorated, they had to be vacated. Currently, both buildings are in serious states of disrepair, with their walls suffering mightily from water damage. Attempts to renovate them during the 1990s were abandoned.
The Synagogues, photo: A.Olej&K. Kobus:
Another trace of the Jewish presence in Kraśnik is the mikvah, or ritual bath, that stands several hundred meters from the synagogues. It is currently used as a retirement home.
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