- Place
- Alanta Eldership, Molėtai District Municipality
- Region
- Aukštaitija
- Type
- restored wooden synagogue and cultural venue
- Address
- Ukmergės g. 3A, Alanta, Molėtai District
- Coordinates
- 55.34938, 25.29279
- Visit duration
- 30-60 minutes; arrange interior access with the museum
- Best time
- during an announced exhibition or event, or on a visit arranged in advance with Molėtai Region Museum
Alanta Synagogue, Alanta Wooden Synagogue
One of Lithuania's Few Surviving Wooden Synagogues
Alanta Synagogue was built in the mid-nineteenth century, around 1860, by the Jewish community then living in the town. Molėtai Region Museum places it among only a small number of wooden synagogues surviving in Lithuania, making the building important to both Alanta's heritage and the wider story of Lithuanian Jewish and wooden architecture.
The word “former” in the title describes its present function: it is no longer an active house of prayer. The synagogue served the local community until 1941; today the restored building is used for remembrance, exhibitions, cultural events, and learning.
Romantic Features and a Clearly Divided Volume
The rectangular log building has a gabled roof. Its eastern section contains the tall men's prayer hall, marked by characteristic round-arched windows. The western section was divided into two floors, with the women's gallery upstairs; its smaller rectangular windows reveal that internal arrangement on the exterior.
The outer walls are clad with horizontal boards and the building stands on a masonry stone base. The original bimah and Aron Kodesh do not survive, so visitors should look not for reconstructed ritual splendour but for the restored scale of the rooms, rhythm of the windows, and wooden structure.
From a House of Prayer to a Warehouse and Restoration
After the destruction of Alanta's Jewish communal life in 1941, the synagogue lost its original purpose. In the post-war years its tall arched windows were boarded up and the building was used as a grain warehouse. That use helped the main volume survive, but altered the interior and hid its most important architectural features.
Restoration was completed in 2021 with state heritage funding and a contribution from the Lithuanian Jewish Community. In 2025 Molėtai District Municipality transferred the building to Molėtai Region Museum, and in July 2026 the synagogue was being newly opened after a long interruption as a cultural and exhibition venue.
Planning a Visit in Alanta
The synagogue stands on Ukmergės Street close to the centre of Alanta. Its exterior can be viewed while walking through the town, but interior access depends on exhibitions, events, and arranged visits announced by the museum. On 25 July 2026, regular opening hours and ticket prices had not yet been clearly published.
Contact Molėtai Region Museum before travelling to confirm whether the synagogue is open that day, whether registration is required, and whether a tour is available. Allow about 30-60 minutes for the venue, then extend an Alanta route to the town church and Alanta Manor a few kilometres away.
