Archaeologists are exploring the site of the synagogue in Fulda, in central Germany, which was torched on Kristallnacht, November 1938, and razed a few months later. The work is taking place within the context of plans to redesign and upgrade commemorative sites of Jewish heritage in the city, including the synagogue and the Old Jewish Cemetery.,
The destroyed synagogue was built over and a parking lot and commercial building (most recently housing a boxing club) long occupied the site. The Old Jewish Cemetery was was destroyed by the Nazis and is now a park, with a commemorative plaque.
The city of Fulda acquired the synagogue site in 2020 and, in the words of the mayor, intends to create a dignified permanent memorial there, So far, in recent years, memorial plaques were installed, including one representing a silhouette of the synagogue.
The first phase of excavations began April 23, with heavy machinery removing the concrete “ceiling” that had covered the remains of the synagogue. In order to do this, the city said on it web site, a memorial installation installed at the site in 2010 listing the names of Fulda Jews murdered in the Holocaust has been temporarily dismantled.
Once the site is uncovered, further steps will be taken based on the results of the excavations, the city said.
Watch a video of the first stages of the work:
The synagogue was built in 1859 to replace earlier structures, and it was enlarged and extended in 1927 in order to accommodate nearly 800 worshippers.
Watch a video from 2022, with English subtitles, giving the history of the synagogue and the Jewish community:
City web site about the archaeology