The Old Synagogue () is a former
Reform
Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...
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 at Steeler Straße 29, in
Essen
Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...
, in the state of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. The former synagogue was repurposed in 1960 as a
Jewish museum
A Jewish museum is a museum which focuses upon Jews and may refer seek to explore and share the Jewish experience in a given area.
Notable Jewish museums include:
Albania
* Solomon Museum, Berat
Australia
* Jewish Museum of Australia, Melbourn ...
.
The building is one of the largest, best preserved and architecturally most impressive testimonies to Jewish culture in pre-war Germany. Built in the centre of the city, the
Byzantine Revival
Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Or ...
and
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
style former synagogue was originally consecrated as the ''Neue Synagoge'' in 1913 and operated as a synagogue until ''
Kristallnacht
( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...
'' in 1938. The building houses an institution dedicated to documenting and promoting the history of the city's former Jewish community.
After being severely damaged during ''Kristallnacht'', but fortunately avoiding further damage from bombing during WWII, the burnt out interior was first completely redesigned to become a Museum of Industrial design in 1960. With greater interest in historic preservation, it underwent a second restoration in the 1980s to its original design; in preparation for its new use as a memorial centre and museum. The attached ''Rabbinerhaus'' (House of the Rabbi) has housed the
Salomon Ludwig Steinheim Institute since 2011.
History of the building

With a rising number of Jewish families moving to Essen in the early 19th century, a community was formally established in 1858. The reform-oriented Rabbi
Salomon Samuel was appointed in 1894, and with the growth of the Jewish community, he decided to build a new large synagogue in the middle of the city center that would mark the importance of Judaism in German society. The architect
Edmund Körner was appointed, and designed a large Byzantine style stone building topped by a copper dome. Influenced by
Jugendstil
(; "Youth Style") was an artistic movement, particularly in the decorative arts, that was influential primarily in Germany, Austria and elsewhere in Europe to a lesser extent from about 1895 until about 1910. It was the German and Austrian cou ...
, the synagogue's interior was tiled deep blue with gold highlights. Salomon Samuel provided guidance on the interior's decoration so that it would reflect Jewish traditions; he gave special attention to the symbols contained in the mosaics and stained glass. One of the largest synagogues in Germany, it measured 230 feet (70m) from front to back and 98 feet in width with a dome that reached a height of 112 feet (37m). The building was inaugurated as the ''New Synagogue'' on 25 September 1913, and for 25 years it was the cultural and social center of a community that in 1933 had around 4,500 members. The main hall (which was also often used for concerts) could hold more than 1,500 people including those in several galleries. In front was an organ and a large bima (the area where the rabbi conducts the service). In addition to the large sanctuary, the building housed a secondary sanctuary for weekday services that had more modest attendance, classrooms, a community hall, a secretariat, and a library. Along with a garden, an attached 'Rabbinerhaus' at the rear of the structure had apartments for the rabbi and cantor.
The seizure of power by the
National Socialists
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
in 1933 began the Nazi era with increasingly more severe anti-Jewish policies culminating in ''
Kristallnacht
( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...
'' on 9–10 November 1938, a night when Jewish owned businesses and synagogues were attacked, many of which were burned to the ground. The Old Synagogue was set on fire, which destroyed the interior. The exterior remained nearly intact. Although Essen itself was very heavily bombed (see
Bombing of Essen in World War II), the building itself managed to survive the Second World War without further damage.
From 1945-1959 the former synagogue stood unused as ruin at the edge of the Essen city center. In 1959, the surviving Jewish community, after it had been using Rabbinerhaus as their center, built a new, much smaller synagogue, which is the current place of worship. In the same year, the city of Essen acquired the former synagogue and in the following years of 1960/1961 renovated it into a museum for
industrial design
Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical Product (business), products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in adva ...
, the "Haus Industrieform." For this purpose the interior was renovated redesigned to fit its new purpose, the remnants of
ark the synagogue
torah
The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
were removed and any surviving mosaics and ornaments were plastered or painted over. The main prayer hall was divided and a new floor installed, and the ceiling was covered.
A fire, caused by a short circuit, severely damaged the Design exhibition in 1979. This event and a changed attitude toward handling historic buildings finally caused the city council of Essen to found the current institution ''
Alte Synagoge,'' a place of remembrance and a center for historical and political documentation. From 1986-1988 the entire building was reconstructed, funded by the state of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
, recapturing something of the former appearance, restoring the soaring dome (in plain plaster rather than the original blue mosaic), reinstating the balcony and reconstructing the marble ark for the
torah
The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
.
Today
In 1988 in the state of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
, the City Council of
Essen
Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...
decided to create a house of Jewish culture and a memorial in the Old Synagogue. New exhibition areas were created. Steeler Strasse on the south side of the building was redirected and the city created a paved plaza named after the synagogue's architect,'Edmund-Körner-Platz.' The official reopening took place on 13 July 2010. Today the ''Alte Synagoge'' houses exhibitions and events for those interested in Jewish culture and religion, in addition to concerts, plays, readings and other cultural events.
Since 1988, the
Salomon Ludwig Steinheim Institute, has researched the cultural, religious, and literary history of the Jews in the German-speaking world. In May 2011 it moved into the ''Rabbinerhaus'' in Essen, and cooperates in research and teaching with the University of
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...
.
Gallery
AlteSynagogeEssen.jpg, The Old Synagogue from outside
Innenansicht der Alten Synagoge von Essen (2008).jpg, The Old Synagogue from inside
Synagoge 1922.jpg, The Old Synagogue in 1922, on the right is the Friedenskirche (''Church of Peace'')
Synagoge Essen - Inneres.jpg, Interior of the Old Synagogue in 1913
See also
*
History of the Jews in Germany
The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...
*
List of synagogues in Germany
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Essen, Old Synagogue
1858 establishments in the German Confederation
20th-century synagogues in Germany
Art Nouveau architecture in Germany
Art Nouveau synagogues
Synagogue, Old
Byzantine Revival architecture in Germany
Byzantine Revival synagogues
Jewish organizations established in 1858
Reform synagogues in Germany
Synagogue buildings with domes
Synagogues completed in 1913
Synagogues in North Rhine-Westphalia
Synagogues preserved as museums