After more than a decade since the city’s Jewish community sought its return, the Croatian government of President Franjo Tudjman returned the site of the Zagreb Synagogue last year during the nation’s election campaign. Tudjman died late last year. His party, the Croatian Democratic Union, lost the election.
The synagogue was built in central Zagreb in 1867 in the Moorish style, which is known for its use of colors, geometric patterns and distinctive arches.
When demolition of the synagogue began on Oct. 12, 1941, the local Zagreb newspaper reported that it was taking place because “the synagogue does not harmonize with the general city plan of Zagreb.”
After the war ended, a shopping center was built on the site of the synagogue, but it burned down in the late 1960s. Since that time, a municipal parking lot has been located there.
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