The former 18th century synagogue from the village of Allersheim, in south-central Germany near Würzburg, was dismantled, moved, and rebuilt stone by stone as part of the Franconian Open-Air Museum of the Middle Franconia District (Das Fränkische Freilandmuseum des Bezirk Mittelfranken) in Bad Windsheim.
The rebuilt synagogue was inaugurated this month as part of the museum. It forms part of the Museum’s collection of more than 100 cottages, barns, shops, and other buildings translocated from various areas of the Franconia part of Bavaria.
“Jewish life has been an integral part of our region, our culture, our Franconian homeland for many centuries,” Würzburg District Administrator Thomas Eberth said on the district’s web site.
With the Allersheim Synagogue, this knowledge has now been made accessible to a broad public. Especially at a time when hatred of Jews is rising again, when war and terror reign in Israel, I consider this to be an extremely important sign of solidarity.
As we posted earlier, work on the reconstruction began in April 2020, and it was possible to follow the progress of the reconstruction on the museum’s web site.
The synagogue in its original form was a two-story half-timbered building with a steep peaked roof, standing above a stone basement, where there was a mikveh. The building also housed the rabbi’s apartment and other communal infrastructure.
It is believed to have been built around 1740-43.
The synagogue was in use until the late 19th century, but only sporadically in later years because of the sharp decline in the local Jewish population after residency restrictions on Jews were lifted and they were able to move from villages into cities — by 1880, only eight Jews remained in the village.
The building was sold in 1911 to a private owner, who converted it into a dwelling and later left empty. Its condition deteriorated to the point of collapse over the past decades, and it was dismantled in 2014-2015 in order to be rebuilt as part of the Open-Air Museum in Bad Windsheim, about 50 km away.
The museum said in a press release on the opening:
After some original boards from 1740 were installed during the renovation of the building, the barrel vault of the prayer room was authentically reconstructed. The Torah shrine was indicated; on the ground floor the room, bedroom and kitchen are reminiscent of the rabbis’ small apartment. The museum should focus on the Jewish history of the house and the use of the synagogue.
The permanent exhibition gives visitors insights into the life of the rabbi, who lived on the ground floor with his family. Among other things, it deals with Jewish dietary regulations, the meaning of the mikveh and the background of Jewish commandments. In addition, thanks to the museum’s extensive biographical work, the history of numerous Jewish citizens from Allersheim can be told.
The Middle Franconia district covered most of the estimated €1.1 million, with the Würzburg district, the Lower Franconia district, the Giebelstadt market and private donors also contributing.
See our 2020 post about the reconstruction, with pictures and video
Read the press release from the museum
Read the report on the District’s web site
Click to see a history of the synagogue and description of the project
Read the museum’s posts detailing the progress of the reconstruction
Read detailed accounts of the history of the Jewish community and synagogue on Alemannia-judaica
Click to read a detailed history of the Jewish community in Allersheim