What to do and see in Tykocin, Eastern Poland: The Best Points of Interest & Landmarks

Reviewed By davidrE7988AX - Baltimore, United States

My wife and I were in Warsaw and I had read about the restoration of this old synagogue. Not one of the largest in pre-war Poland, but of historical significance. Typical of the free-standing sunken fortrass synagogues of its era. We got a guide in Warsaw to take us. After WW2 synagogue fell into disrepair, and has recently bee3n resored to "like-new" condition. While we were there several Jewish groups came through, one from North Ameraica, one from South America. Tycochin pre-WW2 was 50% Jewish, 50% Catholic. The synagogue was at one end of the town, the church on the other, with the town marketplace in between. We got a thorough tour of the town and the local guides at the synagogue were helpful (being Jewish, we know what we were looking at and reading on the inscriptions). Guides facilitated our photography. Agree that what happened to the community was glossed over. Our Warsaw guide took us to the spot in the forest a few miles outside of town where the Nazi's murdered the community over a two day period. There are memorials there marking the mass graves. On our way we briefly stopped at the Jewish cemetery. Basically, the Nazi's tried to erase hundreds of years of Jewish history in this place. They wiped out the people, sadly. The synagogue and vestiges of the cemetery remain as testiment. If you are interested in Jewish history, and Jewish civilization / culture, worth a visit.