Old Synagogue (Dortmund)

Last updated

Old Synagogue
German: Alte Synagoge
Dortmund. Synagoge (05).jpg
Postcard of the former synagogue, c.1925
Religion
Affiliation Judaism (former)
Ecclesiastical or organisational status Synagogue (19001933)
StatusDestroyed
Location
Location Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia
Country Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location of the destroyed synagogue in
North Rhine-Westphalia
Geographic coordinates 51°30′39″N7°27′42″E / 51.5108°N 7.4617°E / 51.5108; 7.4617
Architecture
Completed1900
DemolishedDecember 1938;
(following Kristallnacht )
Capacity1,300 seats

The Old Synagogue (German : Alte Synagoge) was a former Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Dortmund, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Completed in 1900, the synagogue was abandoned in 1933 and demolished in 1938. Prior to its abandonment, the synagogue was the largest synagogue and cultural center of the Jewish community in Dortmund.

Contents

History

The synagogue was opened in 1900. With a capacity of 1,300 seats it was one of the largest Jewish houses of worship in Germany.

After the Nazi Party gained power in 1933, the local government forced the Jewish community to sell the property and decided to demolish the synagogue. [1] The proceeds from the sale were seized by the Nazi regime. Demolition works began a few weeks before the Kristallnacht and were finished in December 1938.

In 1958–1965 the new Opernhaus Dortmund was built on the site where the synagogue once stood. Since 1998 the forecourt is officially known as Platz der Alten Synagoge ("Place of the Old Synagogue") and a memorial stone as well as a memorial plaque was erected.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Synagogue (Berlin)</span> Synagogue in Berlin

The New Synagogue on Oranienburger Straße in Berlin is a mid-19th century synagogue built as the main place of worship for the city's Jewish community, succeeding the Old Synagogue which the community outgrew. Because of its eastern Moorish style and resemblance to the Alhambra, the New Synagogue is an important architectural monument in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old New Synagogue</span> Medieval synagogue in Prague, Czech Republic

The Old New Synagogue, also called the Altneuschul, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Josefov, Prague, in the Czech Republic. The synagogue is Europe's oldest active synagogue. Completed in 1270, it is also the oldest surviving medieval synagogue of twin-nave design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Synagogue (Essen)</span> Former synagogue in Essen, Germany

The Old Synagogue is a former [Reform Judaism|Reform]] Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at Steeler Straße 29, in Essen, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The former synagogue was repurposed in 1960 as a Jewish museum.

The history of the Jews in Salzburg, Austria goes back several millennia. Despite being a non-secular province with a Catholic Archbishop as the head of the state, Salzburg has a long record of Jewish history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hagenow</span> Town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

Hagenow is a German town in the southwest of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim, 30 kilometers south of Schwerin. Its population is approximately 11,300 inhabitants (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fasanenstrasse Synagogue</span>

The Fasanenstrasse Synagogue was a liberal Jewish synagogue in Berlin, Germany opened on 26 August 1912. It was located in an affluent neighbourhood of Charlottenburg on Fasanenstrasse off Kurfürstendamm at numbers 79–80, close to the Berlin Stadtbahn and Zoo Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Luxembourg</span> Ethnic group

The history of the Jews in Luxembourg dates back to the 1200s. There are roughly 1,200 Jews in Luxembourg, and Jews form one of the largest and most important religious and ethnic minority communities in Luxembourg historically.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Synagogue (Danzig)</span>

The Great Synagogue, was a synagogue of the Jewish Community of Danzig in the city of Danzig, Germany. It was built in 1885–1887 on Reitbahnstraße, now Bogusławski Street. It was the largest synagogue in the city, and was demolished by the Free City authorities in May 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semper Synagogue</span> Former synagogue in Dresden, Germany

The Semper Synagogue, also known as the Dresden Synagogue or Old Synagogue, was a Jewish synagogue, located in Dresden, in the Saxony region of Germany. Designed by Gottfried Semper and built from 1838 to 1840 in the Romanesque Revival and Moorish Revival styles, the synagogue was destroyed by the Nazis on November 9, 1938, during Kristallnacht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Synagogue (Düsseldorf)</span> Orthodox synagogue in Düsseldorf, Germany

The New Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, located at Zietenstraße 50, in Düsseldorf, in the Golzheim district of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Synagogue (Erfurt)</span> 11th century synagogue in Germany

The Alte Synagoge in Erfurt, Germany, is one of the best preserved medieval synagogues in Europe, its oldest parts dating back to the late 11th century. Most parts of the building date from around 1250–1320. Due to the fact that its roof is still standing, it is thought to be the oldest synagogue building intact in Europe and the world.

The history of the Jews in Munich, Germany, dates back to the beginning of the 13th century. An early written reference to a Jewish presence in Munich is dated 1229, when Abraham de Munichen acted as a witness to the sale of a house in Ratisbon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Innsbruck</span> Ethnic group

The history of the Jews in Innsbruck dates back to the 13th century, where the Jewish community of Innsbruck was relatively small with many expulsions occurring over the centuries.

The history of the Jews in Königsberg reaches back to the 1530s. By the 20th century Königsberg had one of the larger Jewish communities within the German Reich. The city's Jewish community was eliminated by emigration and then The Holocaust during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spandau Synagogue</span> Synagogue destroyed during Kristallnacht

Spandau Synagogue was a synagogue at 12 Lindenufer in the Old Town area of Spandau, Berlin, Germany. It was also known as Spandauer Vereinssynagoge. The synagogue was built in 1894–95 and was destroyed on 9 November 1938 (Kristallnacht) when it was set on fire. The ruins were removed, probably in 1942. The site is now marked by a memorial tablet, installed in 1988. The congregation maintained a Jewish cemetery, on Spandau's Neue Bergstrasse, which was closed by the Nazi government and was evacuated in 1939 to the Cemetery of the Orthodox congregation Adass Jisroel in Berlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Affaltrach</span>

The history of the Jews in Affaltrach in Obersulm, Germany reaches back to the 17th century and ended during the Holocaust in the 20th century.

History of the Jews in Oldenburg

The Jewish community of Oldenburg in northwest Germany was established as early as the 14th century. It has existed consecutively ever since, except for occasional deportations by the local rulers of the Duchy of Oldenburg and undetr the Holocaust, which annihilated the majority of Jews left in the city. Nevertheless, after the Holocaust, Jewish survivors returned and resettled in Oldenburg, in a community that now operates actively within the Central Council of Jews in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Freiburg im Breisgau</span>

The History of the Jews in Freiburg dates back to the Late Middle Ages when, at the site of today's Wasserstraße and Weberstraße, there was reference to a ghetto. In 1328, a synagogue was located at 6 Weberstraße.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fraenkelufer Synagogue</span>

The synagogue on Fraenkelufer in Berlin's Kreuzberg district was built as an Orthodox Synagogue between 1913 and 1916 according to plans and under the direction of the master builder of the Jewish Community of Berlin, Alexander Beer. The structure was located on Kottbusser Ufer 48–50, today's Fraenkelufer 10-16. On Kristallnacht, the evening of November 9-10th, 1938, the main building of the synagogue was badly damaged. Further destruction in the following years led to the structures ultimate demolition in 1958/1959 after the end of World War II. Today the surviving outbuilding, previously used for the youth service, has been renovated and is home to a Conservative Synagogue. A complete reconstruction of the main synagogue that was destroyed by the Nazis is being planned for its original location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Görlitz Synagogue</span> Synagogue in Görlitz

The Görlitz Synagogue is a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Otto-Müller-Straße, in Görlitz, Germany. Built between 1909 and 1911 in the Art Nouveau style, the synagogue was the main place of worship for the city's Ashkenazi Jewish community. Despite an arson attack, the synagogue was one of the few synagogues in the area to survive Kristallnacht, sustaining only minor damage. The damage was lessened as firefighters ignored the Nazi German orders to let the synagogue burn. With the city's Jewish population depleted, the unused synagogue became a ruin in the following decades.

References

  1. "The Jewish Community of Dortmund, Germany". Beit Hatfutsot Open Databases Project. The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Alte Synagoge (Dortmund) at Wikimedia Commons