VR-RECONSTRUCTION OF THE ASHMYANY GREAT SYNAGOGUE

[ about ]

For centuries, Belarus was home to a network of Jewish shtetls - small towns where Jews were often the majority of the population. These towns were vibrant centers of economic, spiritual, and communal life. The inhabitants mostly spoke Yiddish, yet shtetls were also important places of interaction with non-Jews. This is a unique historical and cultural phenomenon, exemplifying the coexistence of different ethnic groups, religions, and languages.

Synagogues were an essential part of every shtetl, being not only places of worship but also communal centers for assembly and education. One of these synagogues was the Great Synagogue of Ashmyany. Its modest brick shell, topped with a rare three-tiered timber roof and two carved lions, still conceal a breathtaking star-studded inner dome and a rare zodiac cycle – yet these surviving features are steadily deteriorating.

BELARUS SHTETL

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Ashmyany was a dynamic shtetl on the Vilna borderlands. The Great synagogue took shape during this period, with community fundraising recorded in 1857 and a ceremonial opening noted in 1902. Externally austere, it encloses a tall inner dome, an ingenious response to historic height restrictions on synagogues. The building once anchored a larger shulhoyf (synagogue courtyard complex) of nine prayer spaces and served as the spiritual and social heart of the community.

Closed in 1940 and repurposed during the Soviet era, the synagogue came close to being demolished in the 1980s but was miraculously preserved. Today, as Jewish heritage across the region continues to disappear, it stands as a rare surviving witness, though t its condition is critical and demands urgent preservation.

Ashmyany Synagogue, 2020. Photo by Kasia Palasatka

[ exhibition object ]

The virtual reconstruction of the Great synagogue of Ashmyany follows the same research-based approach as other Belarus Shtetl projects, combining archival investigation, historical and restoration expertise, the work of artists, 3D specialists, and developers.

Only one historical photograph of the interior has survived, showing the bimah partially visible in the main hall. Using this fragmentary evidence, the team recreated the entire space by studying preserved examples of synagogues across the region and comparing stylistic parallels. The synagogue’s unique paintings - zodiac symbols on the walls, a starry sky beneath the dome, and the rising sun above the Torah Ark, together forming an image of the world in its cosmic wholeness - are now almost lost. For the VR reconstruction, each image was carefully recreated by hand, following traces of pigment and archival sources. Large-scale virtual reconstruction work can also inform the future physical restoration of the Ashmyany Synagogue.

The resulting project is available in VR and web formats, allowing visitors to explore the restored exterior and interior, including the women’s gallery, zoom in on the frescoes and details, and switch to a real-time 360° view of the synagogue’s current neglected state. The experience includes a narrated tour in several languages - telling the story of the shtetl and its community, the synagogue’s history, and explanations of the wall paintings - as well as a free exploration mode.

We invite you to step inside and rediscover its hidden beauty.

VR-TOUR

Special screening or exhibition request

VR application for Meta Quest headset

Belarusian-Jewish Cultural Heritage Center
Supported by Gerda Henkel Foundation

Project curator: Grigoriy Kheifets
Historic expertise: Vladimir Levin, Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Interior restoration: creative workshop Bastalia, Belarus
Technical development: Imageek company
English Voice Talent: Harlesha Taylor