Work on the reconstruction of the roof and the paintings was both an educational and historic endeavour. Started by an international team of students, historians, architects and artists in 2011, the reconstruction team was headed by Rick and Laura Brown from the American Handshouse Studio in Massachusetts. A total of 400 volunteers and experts took part in the process.
Roof trusses were reconstructed during workshop sessions in Sanok (in South-Eastern Poland), while seven other Polish cities (Rzeszów, Kraków, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Sejny, Kazimierz Dolny, Szczebrzeszyn) hosted sessions devoted to reconstructing the painted ceiling. Each workshop was conducted within existing synagogues, with the participation of local inhabitants. In early 2013, the roof was installed in the museum along with the painted ceiling.
All of the works have been carried out by hand, using traditional methods and techniques from the 17th century. The roof construction was created in this manner, starting from the chipping off of the bark with axes, through to the use of wooden pegs for construction junctions. The polychrome is also done in a traditional way, using water-based paint, rabbit glue and natural pigments.
The reconstruction of the wooden bimah which is mounted under the ceiling was also done using traditional methods. A bimah is a specially circumscribed area which is usually elevated and situated in the centre of the synagogue. It is the place from which fragments of the Torah are read during service, as well as a place of prayer.
The wooden synagogue in Gwoździec was built in 1640. It was 15 metres high, with the roof making up 9 metres of this. The base of the roof encompassed an area of some 100 square metres (on the plan of a square with 10m sides). The synagogue was burned down during World War I. Its reconstruction began in the interwar period, and it was later destroyed for a second time during World War II. The present reconstruction of its roof was conducted on the basis of preserved photographs and sketches by Karol Maszkowski and Alois Breier, as well as the research studies of Kazimierz and Maria Piechotka and Thomas Hubka.
source: PAP, edited by: JM, October, 2014, translated by Paulina Schloser, 22/10/2014