In collaboration with France’s Heritage Foundation, the owner and the association that operates the historic former synagogue in Hégenheim have launched a fundraising campaign to continue restoration of the building as an arts center.
Donations will make it possible to undertake two essential steps, the Foundation said: the complete repair of the exterior walls and the restoration of carpentry, doors, shutters and wooden columns, as well as the recovery of the paved floor of the courtyard.
Hégenheim is located not far from Basel, Switzerland, near the “triangle” where France, Germany, and Switzerland meet.
The synagogue was built in 1821, replacing an earlier synagogue that was burned down in 1815 by retreating soldiers. In the 19th century Hégenheim was the leading Jewish community in the area, but it has not been used for worship for more than a century, as most Jews had moved away, many to Switzerland.
After World war II the synagogue was used as a warehouse, but since 1960, according to Le Ventre, it has been used by artists; for 50 years as the hone and studio of an artist named Walter Gürtler; after his death in 2012, it was sold to a sculptor and goldsmith, who founded the group that became the Le Ventre association.
It is currently owned by an artist Mimi von Moos, who purchased the building in 2019 and made it available to Le Ventre, with the aim of creating there a tri-national multidisciplinary cultural center.
So far, they already financed €126,000 of urgent work on the roof in 2021.
“The location of the former synagogue in the border triangle near Basel is perfect for promoting the international exchange of artists and art enthusiasts,” the Foundation said. “le ventre can make connections across the borders of the three countries, establish itself as a hub in the cultural landscape with international appeal and at the same time preserve the historical legacy, the beauty of the building and its visibility. The spatial conditions are ideal for development and presentation of auditory, visual, performing arts, for cultural exchange and encounter.”
Foundation for Heritage page for the synagogue
(Residents of Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, and Italy who make a donation through the Foundation can get a tax break — click here for information.)
Read a history of the synagogue and plans for its restoration and used by Le Ventre
1 comment on “France: A fundraising campaign is launched to restore the former synagogue in Hégenheim as an arts center. The synagogue has not been used for worship in more than a century”
I would love to show my work there. My next play, which opens in London in November 2026, As Happy As God In France/Aussi Heureux Que Dieu En France, features how Hannah Arendt and Charlotte Salomon were imprisoned by the French in 1940 before the Nazi-occupation.
This space would be a wonderful venue for the work which is set in Paris and Gurs.
I have the text written in English and in French. It reveals the story of Les Indésirables which is not widely known. The round up of May 1940 in the Vel d’Hiv is difficult to find in archives but it happened.
If any reader is able to help me find a way of this being staged in this space, I would be glad to hear more.