Synagogue (Augsburg)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
View of the domed central building of the synagogue (2013)
Interior view of the temple room (1919)

The Augsburg synagogue serves as a cultural center for the Jewish community in Augsburg . The Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Augsburg-Schwaben celebrates Shabbat there every Friday evening and every Saturday morning . The synagogue was built between 1914 and 1917 according to the designs of the architects Fritz Landauer and Heinrich Lömpel in Halderstrasse not far from Königsplatz . The synagogue in Augsburg was also affected by the Reichspogromnacht and the later Allied air raids . It was not until 1963 that a small part of the synagogue could be used again by the community. The synagogue was finally fully restored between 1974 and 1985. Since it reopened in 1985, it has also housed the Jewish Culture Museum Augsburg-Swabia .

The appearance of the synagogue is characterized by elements of Art Nouveau combined with neo-Byzantine and orientalizing details. The combination of traditional forms of landscape-bound construction with modern construction is also remarkable. It represents an outstanding example of the “new Jewish” synagogue type in the spirit of Reform Judaism and documents the self-confidence of Augsburg's Jews, who had been living equally in the city for two generations at the time of the new building. Both the central building and the communal buildings in front of it are registered as architectural monuments in the Bavarian list of monuments.

history

Vacant lot
Detail of the city map of Augsburg 1905

Building site in the city map from 1905

The Jewish community in Augsburg had grown significantly towards the end of the 19th century due to the influx from the rural communities, so that the existing premises of the synagogue in Wintergasse were no longer sufficient despite several modifications and additions. In 1896 a synagogue building association was founded . With the help of the collected donations, the association succeeded in acquiring the former Degmairschen garden estate in Halderstrasse in 1903. In 1911 an architectural competition for the new synagogue was announced. The architects Fritz Landauer (1883–1968) and Heinrich Lömpel (1877–1951) emerged victorious from the competition. On April 30, 1914, the foundation stone was laid for the urgently needed new building. Due to the First World War, however, work stalled and could only be completed in 1917. The new synagogue was officially opened on April 4, 1917. In 1917 the synagogue also received a two-manual organ for 14,000 gold marks from the Augsburg company Koulen & Sohn with 32 stops and a pneumatic action.

During the Reichspogromnacht from November 9th to 10th 1938, the National Socialists gained access to the synagogue and destroyed parts of the interior. The temple room was also set on fire. However, the fire brigade that was called quickly put out the fire, as they feared the tank farm behind the synagogue would explode. Gestapo men then examined the scene of the fire and immediately voiced the suspicion that Jewish community members had lit the fire themselves. Due to the damage that occurred during the night, use by the Jewish community had become impossible. Several municipal facilities, such as the welfare office or the clothing store, were quartered in the upstream community buildings. However, the synagogue also served as a collection point for deportations of Jewish families from Swabia.

The former organ of the Augsburg synagogue in the Weßlinger church

The fire made the organ unplayable. To prevent the Nazis from cannibalizing them for metal extraction, among other things, the rabbi sold them in 1940 to a pastor friend in Weßling . It was brought to the local Catholic parish church of Christ the King in 1941. During this action, which arose out of necessity, it became clear that the organ was too big for the church. Therefore, parts of the ceiling were first removed so that the largest pipes could be accommodated. The problem was later eliminated by crimping the largest pipes and the organ restored. It was still in use there in 2017.

From 1941 until the end of the Second World War , the city stages used the temple area as a set store. The two municipal buildings were used from 1942 by the NS-Volkswohlfahrt and an Luftwaffe-Gaustab. At the same time, a flak position was located on the top of the dome .

After the war, it took many years before the synagogue could be used again. The so-called “Small Synagogue” was used again by the Jewish community from December 15, 1963. Between 1974 and 1985 the rest of the synagogue was restored (official inauguration on September 1, 1985) under Julius Spokojny, chairman of the Jewish community in Augsburg-Swabia .

architecture

The south side of the synagogue on Halderstrasse

The synagogue consists of several parts of the building. The central building with the temple area is set back slightly and is separated from Halderstrasse by two symmetrically arranged community buildings. There is an entrance hall with three arches between the municipal buildings. The community buildings are connected to the central building by two side wings. The east side wing contains the wedding hall and the weekday synagogue. In the opposite western wing there is a vestibule with a cloakroom and a David fountain for ritual hand washing . In the center is the green inner courtyard with a sphinx fountain.

In the ground plan, the central building presents itself as a cross with equal arms. The middle of the central building is covered with a reinforced concrete dome. At the side are four short gable roofs, which are framed by a total of four stone lions. The temple area inside is oriented to the east.

literature

  • Gernot Römer: Augsburg. Once a model for modern synagogue architecture. In: Willi Jasper, Julius H. Schoeps (eds.): German-Jewish passages. European cityscapes from Berlin to Prague. Hoffmann and Campe, Hamburg 1996, pp. 21–31.
  • Sabine Klotz: Fritz Landauer (1883–1968). Life and work of a Jewish architect. (= Writings of the Architekturmuseum Schwaben, Vol. 4.) Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin 2001.
  • The Augsburg Synagogue - a building and its history / The Augsburg Synagogue - A Building and its History ed. on behalf of the Jewish Culture Museum Augsburg-Swabia by Benigna Schönhagen in collaboration with Tatjana Neef for the 25th anniversary of the rededication of the Augsburg synagogue and the opening of the Jewish Culture Museum, Augsburg 2010.
  • Benigna Schönhagen : Augsburg. The synagogue. Places of Jewish history and culture. ed. from the Jewish Culture Museum Augsburg-Swabia, Haigerloch 2006.

Web links

Commons : Synagoge (Augsburg)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Prayer times of the Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Schwaben - Augsburg ( Memento of the original from October 12, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / ikg-augsburg.com
  2. ↑ Günther Grünsteudel , Günter Hägele, Rudolf Frankenberger (ed.): Augsburger Stadtlexikon. 2nd Edition. Perlach, Augsburg 1998, ISBN 3-922769-28-4
  3. ^ Synagogue «Jewish Culture Museum Augsburg Swabia. In: jkmas.de. Retrieved August 10, 2016 .
  4. ^ Sabine Klotz: Fritz Landauer - Life and Work of Jewish Architects . Reimer, 2001, ISBN 978-3-496-01247-4 ( books.google.com ).
  5. ↑ Michael Brenner, Sabine Ullmann: The Jews in Swabia . Walter de Gruyter, 2013, ISBN 978-3-486-71513-2 ( books.google.com ).
  6. ^ Temple in the new center of the city , article in the Augsburger Allgemeine from April 30, 2014
  7. ↑ a b c Church pulls out all the stops: Organ stories from Bavaria. Podcast / audio from Bayern 2 , heard on March 6, 2020.
  8. ^ Karl Filser: Swastika and Zirbelnuss . Himmer Verlag, Augsburg 1983, ISBN 3-921706-02-5 , p. 44 .
  9. ^ City of Augsburg. In: augsburg.de. Retrieved October 29, 2015 .

Coordinates: 48 ° 21 ′ 56 ″  N , 10 ° 53 ′ 31 ″  E