Boskovice

Bílkova 7: The Jewish Municipal House

The original Municipal House – an integral part of the historically significant Jewish Quarter – burned down during the catastrophic fire in the ghetto in 1823. The new building was built in the Empire style using blueprints by Mathias Floch, the architect for the local nobility. It is a large, two-story structure with a gabled roof, a segmented facade, and a vaulted ceiling on the ground floor. It once housed the community’s municipal office, schoolroom, study room, the rabbi’s and hospital administrator’s quarters, and a matzah bread bakery and storeroom. These facilities received first-rate repairs in 2012–2013 as a part of the “10 Stars: Revitalization of Jewish Monuments” project. In June 2014 it saw its grand opening and was opened to the public, housing an exhibition on Jewish Quarters throughout the Czech Republic. An exhibition on the history and historic sites of the Boskovice Jews is housed in the nearby synagogue on Traplova Street (a Baroque structure from 1639 with later alterations). Its vaulted ceilings and walls are decorated with art of exceptional historical value and with Hebrew liturgical texts – a masterwork by Polish Jewish refugees from the late 1600s into the 1700s. The synagogue’s main hall is also a venue for concerts, theater performances, and temporary art exhibits. Total investments in the revitalization project in Boskovice amounted CZK 24,308,000.