Synagogue (Weisenheim am Berg)

synagogue
	; Synagogue from the south
Data
place	Weisenheim am Berg
Architectural style	Historicism, hipped roof construction
Construction year	1832
height	about 7 m
Floor space	about 70 m²
Coordinates	49 ° 30 '48.6 " N , 8 ° 9' 16.7" E Coordinates: 49 ° 30 '48.6 " N , 8 ° 9' 16.7" E

The synagogue in the Palatinate community of Weisenheim am Berg ( Rhineland-Palatinate ) is a former Jewish assembly and church , which has been classified as a cultural monument since 1983 and whose restoration was completed in 1990. It is used today for cultural events.

Geographical location

The former synagogue (Hauptstrasse 28a) is located in the inner town in the second row. It is reached via a short spur road that branches off from the main road to the south. In front of the building to the south is a small square that belongs to the public street area.

Building description

Entrance in the southwest

East wall from the inside

The half-hipped roof building with a floor space of around ten by seven meters and a ridge height of around seven meters extends from east (front) to west (rear). It has eight arched windows, three of which are arranged in the longitudinal wall in the south and north and two in the east wall. There is also a round arch above the entrance door - on the long side at the rear right; in it are Hebrew characters engraved. They reveal subsequent corrections that indicate that the stonemason was not familiar with the Hebrew script. The white plastered building still has part of the roof tiles from the time it was built. The space between the interior ceiling and the roof is not used.

The interior of the building is divided into a small anteroom at the back and a large main room. Above the vestibule, a left-hand wooden staircase leads to the gallery intended for women , which can seat around 20 people. The main room, which can hold up to 50 people, is partially covered with the original sandstone slabs, the arrangement of which indicates the location of the former lectern in front of the east wall. In the middle of this wall there is a niche in which the shrine for the Torah scrolls was previously fitted. At head height, there is a ledge on each of the two long sides of the main room for setting up the candles used for lighting. A wide band of blue color fills the groove between the side walls and the ceiling; it spans the entire interior and symbolizes the sky.

history

The construction of the synagogue was approved by the Bavarian King Ludwig I in 1832 . It was built in the same year and used until the end of the 19th century. Due to the decline in the number of members of the Jewish community, regular services - at which at least ten male Jews must be present - could no longer be held from the 1890s . Therefore, the synagogue was sold to a local joiner's workshop in 1909, who used it as a storage room. The building owes to this fact that it survived the Nazi era unscathed. In the course of the 20th century, however, the need for repairs increased.

In 1988 the sponsorship group Former Synagogue Weisenheim am Berg was founded as a registered association and classified as a non-profit organization. He bought the dilapidated building and renovated and restored it in 1989 and 1990 in consultation with the preservation authorities . For its longstanding commitment, the support group was awarded the 2009 Citizens' Prize from the Bad Dürkheim district ; the award was presented by District Administrator Sabine Röhl († 2012) on January 13, 2010.

During the restoration work, a hidden depot, a so-called geniza , was discovered in the attic . Used torah pennants, fragments of manuscripts and old prayer books were ritually stored in it. Some of the finds were put on display in a showcase.

Since the completion of the restoration, the listed building has been used for cultural purposes.

Events

All kinds of cultural events take place in the former synagogue - for example exhibitions, concerts, lectures and readings. The subject of Jewish life in the past and present is dealt with at least once a year . Since 1997 the concerts of the Guitar plus ... festival - also with international artists - have been held in the building on the first weekend in February ; since 2001 the support group has been participating in the Weisenheim Culture Days . Events were held several times as part of the cultural summer , which takes place across the country every year. As of the year 2000, the support group has digitally archived all events.

literature

Gudrun Müller (Ed.): The Jews in Weisenheim am Berg and their synagogue . Support group for the preservation and restoration of the former synagogue of Weisenheim am Berg, Weisenheim am Berg 1990.

Web links

Commons : Synagogue - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Web presence of the sponsorship group Former Synagogue Weisenheim am Berg

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d sponsorship group Former synagogue Weisenheim am Berg : The building - history and architecture. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 28, 2012 ; Retrieved February 3, 2012 .
↑ ^a ^b General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate (ed.): Informational directory of cultural monuments - Bad Dürkheim district. Mainz 2020, p. 99 (PDF; 5.1 MB).
^ Sponsorship group Former Synagogue Weisenheim am Berg : Former Synagogue. Retrieved February 3, 2012 .
↑ The Rhine Palatinate . In: Edition Unterhaardter Rundschau . Ludwigshafen January 15, 2010.
^ Stephanie Bräunling: Saved by the sponsorship group . In: Die Rheinpfalz , supplement real estate market . Ludwigshafen November 15, 2019, p. 4 .
↑ ^a ^b Sponsorship Group Former Synagogue Weisenheim am Berg : We about us. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 28, 2012 ; Retrieved February 3, 2012 .
^ Bad Dürkheim district: local community Weisenheim am Berg. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 27, 2007 ; Retrieved February 3, 2012 .
↑ Sponsorship Group Former Synagogue Weisenheim am Berg : Events. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 28, 2012 ; Retrieved February 3, 2012 .

[förderkreis_gebäude-1] sponsorship group Former synagogue Weisenheim am Berg : The building - history and architecture. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 28, 2012 ; Retrieved February 3, 2012 .

[gdke-rlp-2] General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate (ed.): Informational directory of cultural monuments - Bad Dürkheim district. Mainz 2020, p. 99 (PDF; 5.1 MB).

[förderkreis_ehemalige-3] Sponsorship group Former Synagogue Weisenheim am Berg : Former Synagogue. Retrieved February 3, 2012 .

[4] The Rhine Palatinate . In: Edition Unterhaardter Rundschau . Ludwigshafen January 15, 2010.

[rheinpfalz_2019-11-15-5] Stephanie Bräunling: Saved by the sponsorship group . In: Die Rheinpfalz , supplement real estate market . Ludwigshafen November 15, 2019, p. 4 .

[förderkreis_wir-6] Sponsorship Group Former Synagogue Weisenheim am Berg : We about us. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 28, 2012 ; Retrieved February 3, 2012 .

[7] Bad Dürkheim district: local community Weisenheim am Berg. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 27, 2007 ; Retrieved February 3, 2012 .

[förderkreis_veranstaltungen-8] Sponsorship Group Former Synagogue Weisenheim am Berg : Events. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 28, 2012 ; Retrieved February 3, 2012 .