The stone fortress synagogue with heavy buttresses on all sides[3] was completed in 1564 in the Renaissance and Gothic Survival styles.

[1] The synagogue served as a house of prayer until World War II when it was devastated by Nazis.

After the war, it briefly served as a village cinema, cultural center and has operated as a Jewish museum since the 1980s.

In 1995 the library was closed due to budget cuts and the building stood in need of repair, especially to the roof, which was leaking.

[4] A further renovation during the 1980s restored some of the former synagogue's historical features, including several unique wall lamps.