6. Audiovisual Arts Centre / former synagogue

About

In western Alytus, a newer part of the city, a wooden house of prayer for the Jewish community was built in the mid-19th century, likely on the site of the present-day building on Kauno Street. After fires destroyed it in the early 20th century, it was rebuilt in brick, adopting a style that reflected the architectural character of shtetls at the time, with a symmetrical façade and characteristic brick detailing.

The former synagogue retains its original interior arrangement: a main prayer hall and a women’s gallery on the second floor, separated by an internal wall with windows. The symmetrical red-and-yellow brick façade features triangular pediments, stylised pilasters and cornices framing the window niches. A brickwork Star of David decorates the main façade. Part of the main hall’s interior has been restored, revealing polychrome oil-painted decoration from two periods – before and after the fires. The original bimah, framed by columns, has survived, as well as the marked location of the Aron Kodesh.

After the Holocaust decimated Alytus’ Jewish community, the synagogue lost its religious function. After the war, it became a temporary home for Alytus residents who had lost their houses, and during the Soviet era it was used as a hatchery and a salt warehouse – traces of the latter can still be seen in the building’s interior. After 1990, the former synagogue was left abandoned. Following its reconstruction in 2021, the building began a new chapter as the Alytus Audiovisual Arts Centre, now hosting a variety of cultural activities.