Synagogue sights in Europe
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Jewish Ghetto
Off Piazza delle Erbe to the southwest is Verona’s historic Jewish Ghetto. Tall buildings frame the narrow side street Via Rita Rosani, named for the Resistance heroine who commanded a band of partisans in Verona until 1944, when she was caught and summarily executed at age 24. On the southeast side of Via Rosani is Verona’s newly restored synagogue, where you might find the doors open to Jewish visitors and others who express a sincere interest.
reviewed
-
B
Great Synagogue
reviewed
-
C
Great Synagogue
The Great Synagogue, west of the Old Town, is the third-largest in the world – only those in Jerusalem and Budapest are bigger. It was built in the Moorish style in 1892 by the 2000 Jews who lived in Plzeň at the time. The building is often used for concerts and art exhibitions.
reviewed
-
D
Synagogue
Trondheim’s Synagogue claims to be the world’s northernmost. It has a small museum of the history of the local Jewish community (which was halved by the Holocaust).
reviewed
-
E
Synagogue
The oldest Sephardic and second-oldest synagogue in the Balkans dates back to the 15th century. Inside is a museum that exhibits religious relics, documentation on the local Jewish population and WWII remains.
reviewed
-
F
Synagogue
The synagogue was built in the Romantic style in 1869, and a seven-page fact sheet in English explains the history of the building and what’s left of the city’s once substantial Jewish population.
reviewed
-
G
Alte Synagoge
East of the cathedral, the grand Alte Synagoge miraculously survived WWII largely intact. A memorial site since 1980, it is a Jewish cultural centre and meeting place. It's worth wandering in.
reviewed
-
H
Sinagoga de Santa María La Blanca
This pretty Mudéjar synagogue has five naves divided by rows of horseshoe and multifoil arches. Originally the upper arches opened onto rooms where women worshipped; the men were down below. Admire the stucco work and ornate capitals; the presence of nuns and a curious exhibition sponsored by a Catholic organisation founded by a converted Jew might offend some visitors.
reviewed
-
Óbuda Synagogue
To the southeast of the Óbuda Parish Church, the large neoclassical building beside the landmark Corinthia Aquincum Hotel is the former Óbuda Synagogue, dating from 1821. It now houses sound studios for Hungarian TV (MTV).
reviewed
-
I
Jubilee Synagogue
The colourful Moorish facade of the Jubilee Synagogue, also called the Velká synagóga (Great Synagogue), dates from 1906. Note the names of the donors on the stained-glass windows, and the grand organ above the entrance.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
J
Spanish Synagogue
The Spanish Synagogue is named after its striking Moorish-Andalucian interior. Dating from 1868, its exhibition records the story of Jews in the Czech Republic from emancipation to the present day. It's one of the six Jewish monuments that make up the Prague Jewish Museum.
reviewed
-
K
Sinagoga
Built in 1315, this is one of the few testaments to the Jewish presence in Andalucía, though it hasn't actually been used as a place of worship since the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492. It is decorated with some extravagant stuccowork that includes Hebrew inscriptions and intricate Mudéjar star and plant patterns.
reviewed
-
L
Neue Synagoge
The original New Synagogue, finished in 1866 in what was then the predominantly Jewish part of the city, was Germany's largest synagogue at that time. It was destroyed in World War II and rebuilt after the Berlin Wall fell. Now this space doubles as a museum and cultural centre illustrating its history of local Jewish life.
reviewed
-
M
Maisel Synagogue
The neo-gothic Maisel Synagogue replaced a Renaissance original built by Mordechai Maisel, mayor of the Jewish community, in 1592. It houses an exhibit on the history of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia from the 10th to the 18th centuries, with displays of ceremonial silver, textiles, prints and books.
reviewed
-
N
Pinkas Synagogue
The handsome Pinkas Synagogue was built in 1535 and used for worship until 1941. After WWII it was converted into a memorial, with wall after wall inscribed with the names, birth dates, and dates of disappearance of the 77, 297 Czech victims of the Nazis. It also has a collection of paintings and drawings by children held in the Terezín concentration camp during WWII.
reviewed
-
O
Alte Synagoge
The Alte Synagoge in Erfurt is one of the oldest Jewish houses of worship in Europe, with roots in the 12th century. After the pogrom of 1349, it was converted into a storehouse and, after later standing empty for decades, has been restored as an exhibit space and museum. Exbits document the history of the building and include the Erfurt Treasure, unearthed during excavations in Erfurt’s Jewish quarter. This includes 600 pieces in all: rings, brooches, cutlery and, most famously, a super-rare golden Jewish marriage ring from the early 14th century.
reviewed
-
P
Sinagoga Major
When an Argentine investor bought a run-down electrician’s store with an eye to converting it into central Barcelona’s umpteenth bar, he could hardly have known he had stumbled onto the remains of what could be the city’s main medieval synagogue (some historians cast doubt on the claim). A guide will explain what is thought to be the significance of the site in various languages.
Fragments of medieval and Roman-era walls remain in the small vaulted space that you enter from the street. Also remaining are tanners’ wells installed in the 15th century. The second chamber has been spruced up for use as a synagogue. A remnant of late-Roman-era wall here, given its…
reviewed
-
Q
Art Nouveau Synagogue
The Art Nouveau synagogue, in the historic Jewish quarter, was designed in 1913 by Hector Guimard, who was also responsible for the city’s famous metro entrances.
reviewed
-
R
Sinagoga del Tránsito
This magnificent synagogue was built in 1355 by special permission of Pedro I. Toledo's former judería (Jewish quarter) was once home to 10 synagogues and comprised some 10% of the walled city's area. After the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, it was variously used as a priory, hermitage and military barracks. The synagogue now houses the Museo Sefardí. The vast main prayer hall has been expertly restored and the Mudéjar decoration and intricately carved pine ceiling are striking. Exhibits provide an insight into the history of Jewish culture in Spain, and include archaeological finds, a memorial garden, costumes and ceremonial artefacts. Entry is free from 2pm…
reviewed
-
S
Old-New Synagogue
Completed around 1270, the Old-New Synagogue is Europe’s oldest working synagogue and one of Prague’s earliest Gothic buildings. You step down into it because it predates the raising of Staré Město’s street level in medieval times to guard against floods. Men must cover their heads (a hat or bandanna will do; paper yarmulkes are handed out at the entrance).
Around the central chamber are an entry hall, a winter prayer hall and the room from which women watch the men-only services. The interior, with a pulpit surrounded by a 15th-century wrought-iron grill, looks much as it would have 500 years ago. The 17th-century scriptures on the walls were recovered from…
reviewed
Advertisement