The restored Kenassa building in Simferopol will be handed over to the Karaite community

CrimeaPRESS reports:

Many years later, the Simferopol community of Karaites will regain its national and religious center. We are talking about the restored Kenassa building in Simferopol.

108.8 million rubles were allocated for the second stage of measures to preserve the Kenassa Building, a regional cultural heritage site located in Simferopol. The contract for the performance of repair and restoration work was concluded in November 2020 between the State Autonomous Institution of the Republic of Crimea «Directorate for Centralized Maintenance and Development of Cultural Institutions» and LLC «Scientific Restoration Center». The act of acceptance of work performed to preserve a cultural heritage site included in the unified state register of cultural heritage sites (monuments of history and culture) of the peoples of the Russian Federation, signed at the end of 2022— the press service of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Crimea reports.

A complex of internal works was carried out in the building, including the restoration of the stairs and basement rooms, the vestibule and the stairwell, the installation of a balcony, halls, equipping with internal engineering systems, adapting the building to modern use, landscaping, arranging a ritual gazebo and a fountain, recreating a stone fence with forged lattice and entrance gates.

According to the Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Crimea, Anna Kilesa, in the future, the local religious organization Simferopol Karaite Religious Community of the Karaite Faith Cholpan will become the user of the facility.

After many years, the Simferopol community of Karaites will regain its national and religious center, which will become the center of attraction not only for Karaites, but also for people interested in the history and culture of the multinational Crimea.

REFERENCE: The building of Kenassa is a Karaite prayer house, built at the expense of the Karaites of the city of Simferopol in 1891-1896, and existed until 1930 as a religious center of the Karaites. In 1931-1934. The building housed a Karaite club. In 1934-1935. the building was rebuilt for the needs of the radio studio. Since 1936, a radio studio began to operate. During the Nazi occupation, the building housed German stables. In subsequent years, the refurbishment of the building continued. Since 1957, the Crimean Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting has been located in the building, later — the State Television and Radio Company «Crimea». In 1979, the building of the Karaite Kenassa was included in the Register of Monuments of Architecture and Urban Planning. Work to restore the authentic appearance of a cultural heritage site of regional significance begins with emergency response only in 2016.

What exactly was done in the building of Kenassa — in the photo report of the press service of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Crimea.