Viticulture took hold in the Tokaj-Hegyalja region in the 14th century, during the reign of King Louis the Great, through Italian winemakers. The excellent local conditions resulted in large quantities of excellent wines, but distribution and sales were lacking. Jews in Galicia were successfully engaged to invigorate distribution. The Jewish congregation experienced its peak at the turn of turn of the 19th-20th century. Unfortunately, nearly 90 percent of the congregation had been killed during World War II. Consequently, Jewish buildings had been abandoned and tragically deteriorated. The process of restoration commenced at the beginning of the 2000s.

Today, the religious venues of the area are connected by pilgrimage routes. One such venue is the Memorial Garden of Olaszliszka, a pilgrimage site established over the site of the former synagogue. Only a fragment of the east wall has been left intact by the building designer, with the west wall reconstructed to evoke the original architectural, spatial experience, coupling a serious artistic concept with the architectural idea. The venue supports pilgrims’ understanding of the history of Jewery in the Tokaj-Hegyalja region.

The memorial’s designers created an integrated symbolic structure inside the architectural space. A lit starmap leads through the walking surface of the space, showing the stars as they were on April 14, 1944. It was on this date that the Jewish population was forcibly relocated. Pilgrim’s steps activate the starmap’s lights. A delicate concrete relief with Hebrew scripture is located in a surviving cabin facing the lake. Lit by candles, metal memorial plaques commemorate the family names of the victims. A miraculously survived audio recording of a pre-war religious ceremony at a synagogue, and prayer by the local rabbi, are played for atmosphere.

Remembrance is a slow, time-consuming process. The architectural and artistic structures support this process.