An unusual effort to preserve historic properties is underway in the Siberian city of Mariinsk, where local authorities have put four heritage buildings up for public auction, including a synagogue built in 1896.
As part of the regional investment initiative “House for a Ruble," the starting price for each property has been set at just one ruble, equivalent to roughly four Israeli agorot.
According to a notice issued by the municipal property management committee, the online privatization auction is being conducted through the Russian RTS-Tender trading platform. Bids can be submitted until October 15, with the auction scheduled to take place five days later.
At the center of the auction is the historic synagogue at 45 Lenin Street, a two-story stone building covering approximately 510 square meters.
The local Jewish community continued to pray at the site until the early 1930s, when the Soviet authorities took control of the building. From 1931 to 1941, it housed a sports club before later being converted into a branch of the city post office. The building has stood empty and unused since 1999.
According to Ynet, the synagogue is currently in a partially ruined condition. Because it is designated as a cultural heritage site, the winning bidder will face strict preservation requirements. These include maintaining the building’s original volume and spatial layout, restoring its historic brick walls, and returning original architectural elements to its facade.
The auction also includes three other historic properties in Mariinsk: a former cultural hall belonging to an alcohol factory, covering approximately 2,800 square meters, and two historic residential buildings on Rabochaya Street, located on plots measuring 349 and 428 square meters, respectively.