WARSAW, Poland (JTA) — The board of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, a region in southern Poland, decided to transfer $1.3 million from European Union funds for the restoration of the synagogue in the town of Chęciny and the creation of a Jewish Culture Memorial Center there.

The cost of the whole project is $1.424 million, with 95 percent to be covered by the Voivodeship Board and the rest by the local government.

PolandDuring World War II it was devastated, and after the war a library and a cinema were housed in the building. In 1958, the building was designated as a cultural center.

The synagogue is in the regional register of protected monuments.

Local authorities in Chęciny cooperated with the Jewish Community in Katowice regarding the future of the synagogue. They applied for funding for the project in 2017.

“We would like to renovate the building, repair the roof, and renew the walls. We will also create the Jewish Culture Memorial Center there. There will be various exhibits. Jewish heritage is an important part of Chęciny’s culture. We want to remind visitors about it,” Robert Jaworski, mayor of the town, told Echo Dnia newspaper.