Work has begun on the wide-ranging restoration of Vienna’s main synagogue, the historic Stadttempel — which will celebrate its 200th birthday next year.
The €10.5 million renovation, carried out with the involvement of the Federal Monuments Office and described by the Vienna Jewish Community as “urgent,” entails renovation of the sanctuary as well as parts of the surrounding Jewish community complex. Work began this past week and is expected to be completed in about a year.
It includes:
replacing the dilapidated windows, renovating the facade and stairwells, as well as floors and walls, completely renovating the restrooms and sanitary facilities, optimizing safety features, improving accessibility, installing ventilation and air conditioning, replacing the furnishings, removing the post-war mahogany paneling and replacing it with contemporary wall coverings while simultaneously restoring the original appearance.
Designed by the Imperial and Royal Architect Joseph Kornhäusel, the synagogue was dedicated on April 9, 1826 and occupies a building complex at Seitenstettengasse 2-4 in Vienna’s city center that includes the Jewish community offices and other facilities.
From the outside it looks like an ordinary building, but its interior fittings and decor form an elegant oval space reminiscent of a theatre, focussed on the ark. The elliptical sanctuary has a blue dome and skylight supported by 12 large marble Ionic columns and a three-tiered gallery.
The synagogue was devastated but not destroyed on Kristallnacht for fear of fire spreading to other buildings.
Vienna’s only synagogue to survive WW2, it was re-opened for worship in 1945, and was fully repaired in 1963 under the direction of Otto Niedermoser (1903-1976), who largely returned the structure to its late 19th-century appearance; it underwent further renovations in 1978 and 1988.
The costs of the current restoration is estimated at €10.5 million, according to the Vienna Jewish community.
It said that two thirds of the sum will be financed from public funds, and the city of Vienna has promised to support a third of the costs.
The Jewish community has launched a fundraising campaign for the remainder. As of this writing, more than 76 percent of funds have been secured.
Read full details about the restoration and donate to the project