The Cetate Synagogue () is a Neolog

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located on Mărășești Street in the Cetate district of

Timișoara Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...

, in

Timiș County Timiș () is a county (''județ'') of western Romania on the border with Hungary and Serbia, in the historical regions of Romania, historical region of Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the westernmost and the largest county in Ro ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. Designed by in an eclectic architectural style, the synagogue was completed in 1865. The synagogue is included on the National Register of Historic Monuments in Romania. The synagogue closed in 1985; was repurposed as a

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage (theatre), stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention ...

, and then reopened as a synagogue and tourist attraction in 2022.

History

The synagogue was built between 1863 and 1864, with completion works extended until 1865. The construction project was entrusted to the Viennese architect . First Rabbi Mór Hirschfeld had taken the initiative to appeal to members of the community, who donated the necessary funds to purchase two plots near the ''Judenhof'' ("Jewish Quarter") from the Janicsáry family and the Piarist college. Ignátz S. Eisenstädter, the cashier and later, between 1870 and 1890, the president of the community, played a key role in the organizing committee under the leadership of Marcus Grünbaum. The construction of the synagogue was done by Lipót Baumhorn, who, in addition to the one in Timișoara, built many other synagogues in

Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

, and

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, and also some important civil buildings, including in Timișoara. The building was originally called the New Synagogue. The synagogue was inaugurated on 19 September 1865, at 10 o'clock, one day before the eve of

Rosh HaShanah Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...

, being re-inaugurated two years later, in 1867, in the presence of Emperor

Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

. 1867 also marked the establishment of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, and the year of the acquisition of full citizenship by the Jews of the Empire. The synagogue served the Neolog Jewish community for nearly 140 years. Due to the decline in the number of Jews leaving for

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

after World War II, the synagogue was closed in 1985. In 2001, the Jewish community of Timișoara ceded the building to the Philharmonic Society for a period of 50 years, to be used as a

. It was reopened for the first time in 20 years in September 2005, when it hosted a concert organized by the Banatul Philharmonic. Currently, the synagogue has returned to the administration of the Federation of the Jewish Communities in Romania. Rehabilitation work on the synagogue began in December 2017. The synagogue will again be used as a place of prayer, possibly with a space set up for a museum of Jews of Timișoara.

Architecture

Cetate Synagogue is one of the most distinctive and original buildings in the city. It has an eclectic style, typical of the second half of the 19th century, with ornaments of

Moorish Revival Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticism, Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mi ...

and

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

styles, with decorations specific to Judaism. The layout of the building is a central, cruciform one, to which the body of the vestibule, flanked by the two towers of the building, is added to the west. The main facade is built of apparent brick and glazed ceramic tiles. The alternation of the use of two-tone bricks draws geometric motifs on the entire surface of the main facade, but dominated by the large rose window, in which the symbol of the

Star of David The Star of David (, , ) is a symbol generally recognized as representing both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the Seal of Solomon was used for decora ...

can be noticed. The entrance is made through a vestibule (''pulish''), which has two houses on the sides of the access stairs leading to the lodges reserved for women and to the towers. From the vestibule one enters into a rectangular room (''heichal'') reserved for men. It has wooden benches carved and covered with a dome on pendants, connected to deep space by four arches. Inside, the rich decorations and stained glass windows of great art are complemented by a Wegenstein organ, made by in 1899. The capacity is approximately 3,000 people.

References

External links

Virtual tour of the synagogue
{{Portal bar, Judaism, Romania 19th-century synagogues in Romania Eclectic architecture Historic monuments in Timiș County Moorish Revival architecture in Romania Moorish Revival synagogues Neolog synagogues in Romania Romanesque Revival architecture in Romania Romanesque Revival synagogues Synagogue buildings with domes Synagogues completed in 1865 Synagogues in Timișoara Tourist attractions in Timișoara

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links