Joniškis District Municipality
Joniškis District
surviving ensemble of summer and winter synagogues with exhibitions
Miesto a., Joniškis
56.24010, 23.61680
45-60 minutes
year-round
White and Red Synagogues, Joniškis synagogues
Joniškis Synagogue Complex: a rare surviving ensemble
The Joniškis Synagogue Complex stands in the town centre by the square and is a rare surviving two-synagogue ensemble in Lithuania. Two nineteenth-century masonry synagogues stand side by side: the summer White Synagogue and the winter Red Synagogue, named after their appearance.
The combination of summer and winter synagogues in one place is exceptional. Jewish communities often had separate prayer spaces for warm and cold seasons, but both preserved together is rare. Joniškis Museum is the only museum in Lithuania that manages an entire synagogue complex.
White and Red Synagogues
The White Synagogue was the summer, unheated prayer house. VLE states that it was built in 1823; its plastered, white-painted walls and Classical forms gave it the name. The Red Synagogue was the winter synagogue; VLE dates it to 1865, with reconstruction in the early twentieth century, and its name comes from the unplastered red-brick facade.
Both synagogues suffered heavily in the twentieth century. In the Soviet period they were turned into warehouses and a sports hall, and original interiors were destroyed. The Red Synagogue partly collapsed in 2007, but was later restored; the repaired synagogues are open to visitors and adapted for culture.
Jewish history of Joniškis
The synagogues remind visitors that Jews formed a large part of Joniškis for a long time. According to VLE, the 1897 census recorded about 2,271 Jews out of 4,774 residents, almost half the town. Jewish craftspeople and traders shaped the town's face and economy.
The community was destroyed in the Holocaust: in 1941 about 635 people, mostly Jews, were murdered near Joniškis. The synagogue complex is therefore not only architecture but a memory site; its exhibitions tell the history of the local Jewish community and display ritual and personal objects.
How to visit
The synagogues are maintained by the Joniškis History and Culture Museum, so they function as exhibition and event spaces. Inside, visitors can see displays about the Jewish community, while the buildings also host concerts, conferences, and exhibitions.
At research time, visiting was listed on weekdays and Saturday, with tickets around 5 EUR and reduced tickets cheaper. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official museum page before travelling. Seeing both buildings usually takes 45-60 minutes.
