The Old Jewish Temple, also known as the Old Synagogue and the Great Temple (Il Kal Grandi), is the oldest place of worship for Jews in Sarajevo. It was built at the end of the 16th century in the part of town then known as Velika Avlija, a small Jewish neighborhood in Sarajevo’s Baščaršija.
It was engulfed in flames on several occasions, suffering the worst damage in 1697 and again in 1788. After the fire of 1788, which also spread to the Jewish neighborhood and adjacent dwellings, the synagogue’s roof collapsed.
The temple’s current appearance dates from 1813, when it underwent reconstruction.
After Nazi occupation began in 1941, the synagogue was looted and demolished. It was here that Sarajevo’s Jews were detained before being deported to concentration camps. At the end of World War II the temple was used as a repository.
Some time after the war (in 1957) the structure underwent massive reconstruction and in 1966 it became the Jewish Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina and an annex of the Museum of Sarajevo.
References:Vufflens castle was built in 1425 on the site of a previous medieval castle by Henri de Colombier. It is the most significant example of a small group of fortified Romandy castles from the middle ages, characterised above all by its brick construction. In 1530, it was set on fire by Bernese troops. In 1641 it was acquired by the de Senarclens family. The castle is currently privately owned and cannot be visited.
A pleasant 30 minute-walk through the vineyards between Vufflens-le-Château and Denens, offers a stunning view of this magnificent castle, the lake and the Mont-Blanc.