Old Synagogue (Aachen)
The Old Synagogue in Aachen , a town in southern North Rhine-Westphalia , was built from 1860 to 1862 according to plans and under the supervision of the Aachen architect Wilhelm Wickop . The synagogue was located on Promenaden-Platz, which has been called Synagogenplatz since 1984.
history
The representative brick building was inaugurated in September 1862 by the Bonn rabbi Ludwig Philippson in the presence of the Aachen dignitaries . In the foundation a certificate was attached, also written in the stand: "Our future grandchildren like thereto realize how great in our time, thank God, the toleration against our fellow Jews was and how much our community has stood by their Christian fellow citizens in respect." In the In 1903 and 1929 the synagogue was enlarged and renovated. The parish hall stood next to the synagogue, and in 1868 the building was expanded to include a school extension.
time of the nationalsocialism
On the morning of November 10, 1938 , the synagogue was set on fire. The rituals were confiscated before the firing. The ruins of the synagogue were demolished on behalf of the city and at the expense of the Jewish community by the end of 1938.
Architecture and equipment
“The three-part facade consisted of a wider middle section and two raised, narrow corner tower-like side sections. These were divided horizontally on the one hand, in particular by a wall frieze at the level of the door arch, and on the other hand, emphasized vertically by three narrow wall openings arranged one above the other. The characteristic 'neo-Islamic' design was continued in a portal system which, on average, was up to five sixths of the total height. The main element of the portal was a recessed square wall relief, structured by a round arched door and two horseshoe-shaped windows in the lower area as well as a broad round arch rising above it with a round window in its center. A richly chiseled arched edge and battlements formed the end of the facade, and two polygonal domed turrets rose above the side sections. The facade is wider than the adjoining nave. The interior of the synagogue was thoroughly renovated at a time unknown to us. A comparison of the images shows that the original rich interior decoration and the numerous inscription panels have been reduced and removed. It is also noticeable that the side galleries have been dismantled. The division of the pages into arched windows at the top and rectangular windows at the bottom, which they required, has been filled with bilingual inscriptions. The rest of the interior seems to have remained unchanged. "
Commemoration
On the former Promenaden-Platz, which was renamed Synagogenplatz in 1984 , a memorial designed by Heinz Tobolla to commemorate the destroyed synagogue was erected by the Protestant and Catholic churches of the city of Aachen .
The memorial bears the inscription: “And the Lord said it is not enough for you Israel to be my servant just to restore the tribes of Jacob. I make you a light for the peoples, so that my salvation reaches to the end of the earth. Isaiah 49.6 "
A memorial stone at the foot of the memorial bears the inscription: “This memorial was erected by the Evangelical and Catholic Churches of the city of Aachen as a warning against all hatred and hostility. November 8, 1984 " .
A steel plaque behind the memorial is inscribed: “The memorial depicts: The history of Israel as a star from David. In spite of many blows, its essence protrudes indestructibly into the future. - The citizens of Aachen remember the synagogue at this place, which was given its sacred purpose on September 19, 1862, desecrated and destroyed by the Nazis on November 8, 1938. "
New synagogue
At the site of the old synagogue was one of 1995 Alfred Jacoby designed New Synagogue inaugurated after time since March 1957 an old mansion had served as a synagogue in Aachen Oppenhoffallee location .
See also
literature
- Klaus-Dieter Alicke: Lexicon of the Jewish communities in the German-speaking area. 3 volumes. Gütersloher Verlagshaus , Gütersloh 2008, ISBN 978-3-579-08035-2 . ( Online edition )
Web links
- History - Jews in Aachen (accessed on January 16, 2016)
- Jewish life in Aachen , on dig-aachen.de
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 50 ° 46 ′ 36 " N , 6 ° 5 ′ 34.7" E