Mikveh (Schmalkalden)
The Mikveh von Schmalkalden was the ritual bath of the Jewish community in Schmalkalden .
location
In connection with a residential project in the old town of Schmalkalden, the Thuringian State Office for Monument Preservation carried out archaeological investigations in 2015. In the courtyard of the half-timbered house Hope 38 they discovered a vaulted cellar and in it the immersion bath. This facility was located in the immediate vicinity of the synagogue on Judengasse, which was destroyed in 1938 .
Dating
The immersion bath was built in two construction phases. The older part was built around 1400; the younger part was built in connection with the construction of the new synagogue in 1622. By the 18th century at the latest, the mikveh was abandoned and the cellar was used profanely.
description
The cellar mikwe was mainly fed by groundwater. It had a total of four shafts. Three are close together, the fourth is connected to the ensemble by a wooden water pipe with a stone overflow.
The most important and architecturally highlighted element is the immersion bath for the ritual cleansing of people through complete immersion. Two steps lead down, the floor is covered with stone slabs. The capacity is about one cubic meter of water.
The separate shaft connected by the wooden water pipe is relatively small and was probably used for the ritual cleansing of dishes.
The other two shafts belong to the older, late medieval mikveh. The groundwater was collected and regulated here before it flowed into the immersion bath. This late medieval immersion bath is located below the early modern one and has not been excavated. Archaeologists found shards in one of the shafts that could be joined together to form a 15th century vessel.
The condition of the facility is exceptionally good, the construction with several shafts unusual but functional.
Web links
- State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology: Media information: Kellermikwe discovered in Schmalkalden (October 29, 2015).
- Archeology online: Kellermikwe discovered in Schmalkalden (October 30, 2015).
- Jewish General: The Mikveh of Schmalkalden (January 19, 2017).
- Mathias Seidel: Jewish ritual bath discovered in Schmalkalden. In: netzwerkWohnen 1/2017.
Coordinates: 50 ° 43 ′ 19.9 ″ N , 10 ° 27 ′ 13.7 ″ E