BJCH | Ashmyany VR Reconstruction | Belarusian Jewish Museum

ashmyany

VR reconstruction of The ashmyany Great Synagogue

Built at the turn of the 20th century, the Ashmyany Great Synagogue is one of the few surviving historic synagogues in the region. Hidden within are a breathtaking star-studded dome and a rare zodiac cycle painting. The building still stands, but its distinctive architecture and interiors are rapidly deteriorating.

UNIQUE PAINTINGS RECONSTRUCTED FROM THE LAST SURVIVING TRACES

Ashmyany synagogue, cross-section plan, 1929

Autobiography _My way of life_ from Ashmyany

Capricorn zodiac sign painting, 2000-2010

ashmyany

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Ashmyany was a thriving shtetl on the borderlands of Vilna, then a major commercial center and hub of Jewish culture. This connection shaped the town’s economic vitality and distinctive character.

The Great Synagogue was built during this period through the efforts of the local Jewish community and ceremonially opened in 1902. Combining brick and timber construction, the building is distinguished by an intricate three-tiered wooden roof, while unusual cosmic paintings cover the main prayer hall and its tall inner dome.

Closed in 1940 and repurposed during the Soviet period, the synagogue was marked for demolition in the 1980s but miraculously escaped destruction. Today, it is one of the few remaining witnesses to the Jewish history of the town, yet its condition is critical.

Ashmyany synagogue, 1925

Wikimedia Commons

vr reconstruction

AShmyany synagogue, 2021

Belarusian-Jewish Cultural Heritage Center

VR reconstruction of the Ashmyany Great Synagogue

Belarusian-Jewish Cultural Heritage Center

Only one historical photograph of the synagogue’s interior has survived, showing the main prayer hall with the bimah only partially visible. To reconstruct the space, the team combined this fragmentary evidence with archival sources and comparisons with preserved synagogues across the region.

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. Each image was carefully recreated by hand, following traces of pigment and available documentation, then digitized and integrated into the 3D environment.

Inside the Virtual Experience

AShmyany synagogue, 2021

Belarusian-Jewish Cultural Heritage Center

VR reconstruction of the AShmyany Great Synagogue

Belarusian-Jewish Cultural Heritage Center

Free EXPLORATION Mode

Move through the synagogue at your own pace, exploring its architecture, decorative details, and reconstructed paintings. A magnifying tool allows individual artworks to be viewed up close. The experience also includes a 360° view of the synagogue in its present condition.

Guided Tour

Follow a curated route introducing the synagogue’s history, architecture, and significance, with detailed explanations of the meaning of its various elements. The accompanying audio guide is available in English and Russian.