Agudas Achim Synagogue, Functionalist synagogue in Trnitá district, Brno, Czech Republic.
Agudas Achim Synagogue is a functionalist building in Brno with clean, geometric forms constructed from reinforced concrete and brick. Its south-facing facade features a large window divided into thirty panes, which emphasizes the building's straightforward yet intentional design.
Galician Jewish refugees who settled in Brno founded the Agudas Achim association, which commissioned architect Otto Eisler in 1932; the synagogue was built in 1935–1936 by the Eisler brothers' family firm. Closed and used as a warehouse during World War II, it was reconsecrated on 6 September 1945.
The association Agudas Achim, meaning "Community of Brothers", was founded by Galician Jews who fled to Brno during the First World War. The synagogue's name is recalled in the Hebrew inscription above the marble ark, quoting Psalm 113: "From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised."
The interior follows traditional seating with 184 spaces for men on the ground floor and 102 for women in an upper gallery. Visitors should expect the gender-separated arrangement and be prepared for the building's vertical layout.
The building underwent major renovation in 2014 with the installation of a custom-made menorah curtain produced in the United States. This crafted element bridges modern workmanship with the tradition of the place.
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