Nozyk Synagogue, Warsaw

Walking along Twarda Street, look for the Nożyk Synagogue at number 6, partly enclosed by neighboring buildings near Grzybowski Square. You can identify it by its pale façade, rounded arches, and projecting central section. The design combines Romanesque Revival architecture with Byzantine and Moorish decorative elements. Completed between 1898 and 1902, the synagogue was financed by Warsaw merchant Zalman Nożyk and his wife, Ryfka, to serve the city’s Orthodox Jewish community.

Before entering, step back to examine the front elevation. The tall arched windows illuminate the prayer hall, while the decorative bands and rounded openings distinguish the building from the modern structures surrounding it. The synagogue is particularly significant because it is Warsaw’s only active prewar synagogue building to have survived the Second World War.

Inside, continue through the vestibule into the main prayer hall. The interior is divided into a broad central nave and two narrower side aisles. Look upward and along both sides to see the women’s galleries, supported by decorated columns and enclosed by ornamental balustrades. Traditionally, these galleries were reached through separate entrances and staircases.

Near the center of the hall stands the slightly elevated bimah, the platform from which the Torah is read. From there, direct your attention toward the eastern wall, where the richly ornamented Aron Kodesh, or Holy Ark, holds the Torah scrolls. It resembles a columned portal and is crowned by a gilded dome bearing the Star of David. Marble steps rise toward it from either side, while a Hebrew inscription from Psalm 118 appears above.

The synagogue was damaged during the German invasion of 1939 and later stood within the Small Ghetto. German forces used it as a stable and storage depot, but the structure survived. Restored after the war, it once again functions as a house of worship and a center of Jewish communal life. Visitors should therefore remember that this is not simply a historical monument but an active religious building, and behave respectfully during services or community events.