Old Synagogue (Berlin) Explained

Old Synagogue
Native Name:German: Alte Synagoge
Image Upright:1.4
Rite:Nusach Ashkenaz
Festivals:-->
Organizational Status:-->
Functional Status:Destroyed
Location:Heidereutergasse 4, Marienviertel, Berlin
Country:Germany
Map Type:Berlin
Map Size:250
Map Relief:1
Architecture Type:Synagogue architecture
Groundbreaking:1712
Year Completed:1714; 1855
Date Destroyed:November 1942
Date Destroyed:-->
Elevation Ft:-->

The Old Synagogue (German: Alte Synagoge) was a Jewish congregation and synagogue, that was located at Heidereutergasse 4, in Marienviertel, in the present-day Mitte district of Berlin, Germany.

Designed and built by Michael Kemmeter, the synagogue was built as a rectangular hall building. Consecrated in 1714 and remodelled in 1855, the synagogue was known as the Great Synagogue until the opening of the New Synagogue, built in the 1860s to accommodate Berlin's expanding Jewish population.[1] Nevertheless, services continued to be held in the Old Synagogue into the 20th century; it was restored in 1928.[2]

The synagogue survived Kristallnacht but was destroyed during World War II. The last service took place in the Old Synagogue on November 20, 1942.[3] The site is marked with a plaque and part of the building's contours are marked with cobblestones.[4]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Walkowitz, Daniel J. . The Remembered and Forgotten Jewish World: Jewish Heritage in Europe and the United States . 2018-09-05 . Rutgers University Press . 978-0-8135-9606-8 . 142 . en.
  2. Book: Gutmann, Joseph . The synagogue: studies in origins, archaeology, and architecture . 1975 . Ktav Pub. House . 0-87068-265-2 . New York . 322 . 1397887.
  3. Web site: Funk, Stpehan . Destroyed synagogues of Berlin: Old Synagogue (Alte Synagoge) in central Berlin . Milgroym: Jewish Art & Jewish Heritage . 14 December 2020 . 30 June 2024 .
  4. Book: Dettke, Dieter . The Spirit of the Berlin Republic . 2003-06-01 . Berghahn Books . 978-1-78920-387-5 . 124 . en.