The two synagogues in Essen, Germany will see restoration in the coming months.
The stone facade and copper roof of the monumental Old Synagogue will be refurbished, while the community hall of the postwar New Synagogue complex will be restored.
Owned by the city, the massive Old Synagogue, designed by Edmund Körner and constructed in 1911-1913, was one of the few major building standing in downtown Essen after WW2. Long used after the war as a technology museum, it is now a House of Jewish Culture with a permanent exhibition and events.
The City of Essen announced at the beginning of September that work on the Old Synagogue would begin in December, at a cost of at least €7 million. The Rabbi’s house incorporated in the synagogue building will be included in the restoration.
It said the main focal points of the roof and facade renovation would be:
- the renewal of the copper roofing,
- the renewal and adjustment of rainwater drainage,
- the upgrading and partial renewal of the wooden roof substructure,
- the renovation of the reinforced concrete structure of the inner main dome,
- cleaning and new pointing of the facade, replacing damaged stones and adding additional anchoring.
It said the appearance of the Old Synagogue “will not change in the long term due to the specifications of the monument protection in the selection of materials” and provided details of what will be carried out:
The deformed and hail damaged copper covering has to be renewed and replaced with a harder, crack-resistant alloy.
The rainwater drainage has to be redesigned due to age and wear-related damage, insufficient gradient and other structural defects. In addition to the copper covering, it represents the most complex renovation point. In future, the rainwater will be completely drained off the outside.
The condition of the wooden roof substructure can only be determined once the copper covering has been completely removed. So far, spot checks have shown that most parts are in good condition. In the course of the renovation, the roofs of the four corner towers will regain their historic dome shape.
The reinforcement of the reinforced concrete structure of the inner main dome is partially exposed. Corroded reinforcement parts must be replaced or sealed after rust removal and the areas then provided with a new concrete edging.
The cleaning of the shell limestone facade is gentle on the material. After removing the algae and lichen growth as well as decades-old dirt and soot deposits, the old color of the massive natural stone facade will come to light again. Subsequent impregnation is also checked to avoid future soiling.
Essen’s New Synagogue was built in 1958-59 and designed by the architects Dieter Knoblauch and Hans Heise. One of the first synagogues built in Germany after World War II, it now serves a community numbering around 1,000 people.
The small, domed prayer hall underwent restoration in the early 2000s.
On November 12, the German Foundation for Monument Protection, the largest private initiative for the preservation of monuments in Germany, announced a grant of €40,000 toward the renovation of the Jewish community’s “Hirschland Hall,” part of the synagogue complex.
It said the funds will go toward “the restoration of the exposed concrete columns in the Hirschland Hall of the New Synagogue in Essen, for painting work on the room shell and for the restoration of the wood paneling and the folding partition wall.”
The Hischland Hall, it said, “serves as a cultural venue for the community members and enables the preservation and communication of Jewish customs. Concerts, theater performances, lectures, readings and celebrations of Jewish festivals take place here.”
Read the full announcement of the work on the Old Synagogue
Read the announcement of the grant to the New Synagogue