Jewish Culture Museum Veitshöchheim

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Main entrance with Star of David

The Jewish Culture Museum and the Veitshöchheim Synagogue are located in a historic location in the center of Veitshöchheim and were inaugurated in 1994 after an eight-year renovation period. The complex consists of the synagogue , which was built in 1730, has since been used for other purposes and is now fully restored and is suitable for liturgy , a museum building in a former Jewish residence and a new building (archive and seminar building) for temporary exhibitions and events. The life of the Jews in Franconia , which has had a decisive influence on the region for three centuries, is presented in a variety of ways in the Jewish Culture Museum Veitshöchheim.

synagogue

A Veitshöchheim Jew had the synagogue built between 1727 and 1730. The exterior design is adapted to the local architecture, the interior contains a baroque Jewish prayer house with a central bima and Torah shrine . In 1940 the synagogue was converted into a fire station. During remodeling and renovation work in the synagogue, large parts of the old interior furnishings were found in the floor in 1986. With the help of these original fragments and photographs from 1926, the Veitshöchheim synagogue can be completely restored. This makes it the only fully furnished historical synagogue in the Lower Franconia area .

Prayer house

The prayer leader and teacher of the Jewish community in Veitshöchheim lived in an apartment directly in the synagogue building. The Jewish school system and the history of the Veitshöchheim synagogue are presented today in the four rooms.

Mikveh

In the synagogue building there is still a mikveh that was fed with groundwater.

Genisa

During renovation work in the attic of the synagogue, a very extensive genisa was discovered . The texts are written in Hebrew, Yiddish or German and are mainly from the 17th to 19th centuries. These finds have been inventoried since 1998 as part of the Veitshöchheim Genisaproject .

museum

The museum is housed in a former residential building from the early 18th century. Hebrew inscriptions in the attic are testimony to the Jewish families who lived here. The basis of the permanent exhibition are items from the Veitshöchheim Genisa . The topics mentioned offer an insight into Jewish religion and literature, tell of the life of a rural Jewish community and of the history of the Jews in Veitshöchheim and Franconia .

literature

  • Martina Edelmann: Veitshöchheim Jewish Culture Museum. Locations, traces, exhibits. Verlag Medien und Dialog Klaus Schubert. Haigerloch 1999, ISBN 978-3-933231-09-3 .
  • Martina Edelmann: Dirt, dust and sensations. On the work of the Veitshöchheim Genisa project. In: State Office for Non-State Museums in Bavaria (Hrsg.): Yes what is it ?! Research in the museum. Munich 2014, ISBN 978-3-9807604-8-5 , pp. 37-39
  • Martina Edelmann: Veitshöchheim. In: Würzburg district (ed.): Traces of Jewish history in the city and district of Würzburg. A guide for young people. Würzburg 2013, pp. 42–51. ( PDF ).
  • Martina Edelmann: Veitshöchheim. Jewish Culture Museum. In: Eberhard Dünninger (Hrsg.): Handbook of the historical book inventory in Germany. Volume 13. Hildesheim 1997, ISBN 978-3-487-09587-5 , pp. 72-75.
  • Martina Edelmann: The “Genisaprojekt” of the Jewish Culture Museum Veitshöchheim. In: Benigna Schönhagen (Ed.): Restored synagogues. Space - history - change through memory. Hentrich & Hentrich, Berlin 2016, ISBN 978-3-95565-141-1 , pp. 101–112.
  • District Office Würzburg (Hrsg.): The museums in the district of Würzburg. Würzburg 2015, pp. 42–43. ( PDF ).
  • Otto Lohr: Jewish culture museum and synagogue Veitshöchheim in Lower Franconia. In: State Office for Non-State Museums in Bavaria (Hrsg.): Museum heute (8). Munich 1994, pp. 3-8.
  • Martin Przybilski: On some Yiddish fragments from the Veitshöchheim Genisa. In: Ashkenaz. Journal of the History and Culture of the Jews (11). Tübingen 2001, pp. 233-238.
  • Hermann Suess: On the literary historical significance of the Veitshöchheim Genisa. In: Ulrich Wagner (ed.): Evidence of Jewish culture in Lower Franconia. (= Writings of the Würzburg City Archives, Issue 2). Würzburg 1987, p. 79ff.
  • Ludwig Wamser: The synagogue in Veitshöchheim. In: Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation (Hrsg.): Monuments of Jewish culture in Bavaria. Workbook 43. 1994, p. 59ff.
  • Ludwig Wamser: The synagogue of Veitshöchheim. A memorial to Jewish life in a suburb of Würzburg. In: Ulrich Wagner (ed.): Evidence of Jewish culture in Lower Franconia. (= Writings of the Würzburg City Archives, Issue 2). Würzburg 1987, p. 59ff.

Web links

Coordinates: 49 ° 50 ′ 1.9 ″  N , 9 ° 52 ′ 19.6 ″  E