Babyn Yar Synagogue, Kyiv

Architect: Manuel Herz
Text: György Szegő
Photos: Iwan Baan

On 29-30th September, 1941, the Nazis herded the Jewish citizens of the city and its surroundings into a valley near Kyiv, where a detachment of SS soldiers slaughtered 34,000 people with a volley of bullets. As the city grew, a hotel complex was planned on the same site. Along the lines of the annual mourning ceremonies held here, and following the protests of Pope John Paul II and two US presidents, among others, the present-day memorial, which is reminiscent of the old painted timber Jewish prayer houses, was built for last year’s anniversary, after much delay and with the support of the diaspora. Its architect, Manuel Herz designed the memorial and prayer site with Hasidic motifs in the decorative style of the Hasidic tradition, but in a modern architectural style. The building serves both as a spiritual house of worship and as a memorial to make us face earthly horrors. In line with Jewish traditions, the cemetery is untouchable. Herz therefore erected the dual-function building on a floating platform above the ground. For most of the year it forms a stele made of wood. When worshippers arrive, the enclosed column form can be opened almost like a book. When closed, it has a monumental effect; when open, it forms an intimate setting. The interior ceiling decoration is a sacred painting integrating decorative details of 17th century Jewish folk art, composed for the constellation of the night of the mass murder in September 1941, instead of the zodiac motif of the ancient synagogues mentioned above.

Client: Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Foundation
Architects: Manuel Herz Architects – Manuel Herz, Maxim Gabai, Ben Olschner, Isabella Pagliuca, Angeliki Giannisi
Site supervision: Oleksandr Laptev
HVAC: Dmytro Pisarevaliy, Yaroslav Novitskiy
Ceiling painting: Galina Andruschenko
Project management: Oleksiy Makukhin
Contractor: Budsok