ABSTRACT
In Shargorod, Chernevtsi, Bershad, Tomashpol and some other Podolian towns and townlets, one can find elderly people still living in the houses built by their grandfathers or even great-grandfathers. It is still possible to hear living memories about shtetl life from the last representatives of that traditional culture and see the imprint left by its customs and festivals on architecture. The orientation of the Ashkenazic culture towards the traditional values of the past determined the character of its artistic creativity. It followed in the footsteps of European urban civilization, permanently renewing its architectural vocabulary in accordance with changing European artistic styles. The parallel development of the architectural style of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues in Europe could create the illusion that Ashkenazic culture was indifferent to the formal aspect of art. Jews began to settle in the ancient Podolian towns of Medzhibozh, Vinnitsa and Bratslav as early as the beginning of the sixteenth century.
