One of Belarus’ oldest synagogues, a 19th-century landmark in the city of Kobryn, has been put up for public auction, the government website Belyorobspetsanya reported this week.
The red-brick building, once a centerpiece of the city’s large Jewish community, is among the last physical reminders of Jewish life in Kobryn, where Jews made up a majority of the population for many years before World War II.
During the war, the synagogue became part of the Kobryn Ghetto, and executions of local Jews took place near its walls. After the Holocaust, it remained the only synagogue still standing out of the seven that had operated in the city. It was never restored for worship and was instead used for industrial purposes for decades. In the 1980s, it housed a factory that produced beer and soft drinks.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the factory shut down and ownership of the property was transferred to the city and later to the Suvorov Military History Museum. The museum planned to convert the site into a cultural and memorial center for Kobryn’s Jewish community, but the project stalled due to the building’s poor condition and a lack of investors.
Ownership was later transferred to a private company, Zhilstroykomplekt. The building, located at 40 Pervomayskaya Street, sits on a 1,068-square-meter plot that includes an attic and additional structures. The buyer will also receive a nearby 5.7-hectare plot designated for religious use only.
The sale comes with complications: the property is under a government lien, making registration changes impossible, and it is listed as a protected cultural heritage site. Any restoration would require approval from the Belarusian Ministry of Culture.
A previous auction held in the spring set a starting price of about $180,000. The new opening bid has been reduced to roughly $72,000. Bidding closes Nov. 12, with the auction scheduled for Nov. 13.
If sold, the historic synagogue could be given a new lease on life — and once again serve as a place of remembrance for the Jewish community that once thrived in Kobryn.