Facts about Rzeszow - heritage

The Rzeszów Synagogues

The first Jews probably came to Rzeszów in the 15th century. If however, one believes in the legend of the Polish King Casimir the Great and his Jewish mistress Esterka, whom he would supposedly meet with in one of the houses in the Rzeszów Market Square, the period would have to be shifted a further back.
Initially, the Jews were to inhabit, according to law, the areas outside the town. With time, however, their community became more and more plentiful. After the first synagogue (the so-called old-town synagogue) had been built at the turn of the 16th century, only a hundred years later another one, this time named the new-town synagogue, had to be built.
During World War II the Germans converted the synagogues into store-houses and destroyed the nearby cemeteries. Following the end of the occupation the two synagogues were in almost complete devastation, only to be rebuilt at the turn of the 1950s. The old-town synagogue is presently the seat of the State Archives, while the new-town synagogue is the seat.

During the Second World War
synagogues were converted
into store-houses