Pakruojo sinagogų kompleksas

LT2020 m. rugpjūčio 28 d. ir rugsėjo 2–8 d. Pakruojo rajono savivaldybės administracijos užsakymu buvo atlikti geofizikiniai žvalgymai ir archeologiniai žvalgomieji tyrimai (VšĮ Archeologijos centras) Pakruojo buvusių žydų paveldo objektų (žieminės sinagogos ir štiblo) vietoje, Kranto g. 8 (patenka į Pakruojo sinagogos (UK 955) apsaugos zoną). Iškasti 9 šurfai, ištirtas bendras 33,65 m2 plotas, georadaru žvalgytas 720 m2 plotas. Įžemis – rudas molis su dolomito priemaišomis pasiektas įvairiame gylyje (nuo 12 cm iki 1,32 m). Pradžioje, siekiant išsiaiškinti tiriamo objekto pastatų vietas, atlikti kartografiniai tyrimai, siekiant lokalizuoti ketinamų tirti pastatų vietas. [...]. [Iš teksto, p. 347]

ENIn 2020, a geophysical (georadar) survey (720 m2) and a field evaluation (9 test pits totalling 33.65 m2) were conducted at the site of former Jewish heritage objects (the Winter Synagogue and the Shtibl (Tailors’ Synagogue)) at Kranto St. 8 in the city of Pakruojis. Sterile soil: brown clay with dolomite detritus was reached at various depths of 12–134 cm. The Winter Synagogue, built in 1802, is ascribable to the Classicism style, the Shtibl, built circa 1870, to traditional architecture (characteristic of residential homes). This Pakruojis complex of former wooden synagogues from the last quarter of the 18th–19th centuries is a unique Lithuanian synagogue object, in which several styles are intertwined: Late Baroque (which survives in the Summer Synagogue built circa 1778), Classicism, and traditional architecture, and was a clear accent of the cityscape, one of the dominant features of the Pakruojis panorama. According to the accounts, the Winter Synagogue was demolished after the war in 1945–1950, the Shtibl after 1970, and the interior of the surviving Summer Synagogue was destroyed, making way for a cinema (but restored in 2017). Two anomalies were discovered during the geophysical investigation: a suspected drainage course at the Shtibl site and a 7x7 m square structure (the remains of a stove or cellar (?)) at the Winter Synagogue site. No foundation for the buildings being sought or any other structure was identified. The former Winter Synagogue was preliminarily determined to be 16.3x13 m (as it was slightly smaller than the Summer Synagogue, which is 18.47x13.74 m), and to be oriented 30°–240° and 340°–120°. It was 16.3 m to the SW of the Summer Synagogue, which together with the Shtibl (10.16–10.80x6.85–7 m) formed a U-shaped courtyard, which was enclosed on the SE side by a wooden picket fence (based on 1930s iconography).The 80 cm wide foundation was created using whole fieldstones bound with lime mortar. The state of their survival varies, the NW and parts of the NE sides having been demolished the most. Stone paving – an apron was discovered near the foundation on the SE side. The archaeological investigation yielded several handforged and factory iron nails, part of a window latch, and fragments of undecorated panel stove tiles. Test pits 1, 2, and 4 revealed an undisturbed 32–65 cm thick, 17th–18th-century cultural layer with finds, charcoal, and structures: a storage pit and a building (?) site. This is a layer from Pakruojis Old Town and attests to its development in this part of the city (beside the Summer Synagogue that appeared circa 1778), prior to the construction of the Winter Synagogue in the early 19th century. 4 test pits were excavated in the vicinity of the Shtibl. Both the georadar and the destructive digging methods failed to locate its remains. [From the publication]