A modern new synagogue in Ulm, German was dedicated at the beginning of December near the site of the pre-war synagogue that was destroyed on Kristallnacht.
At the Dec. 2 dedication ceremony, Germany’s president spoke of a “joyful day for all people of good will.”
President Joachim Gauck said the construction of the synagogue was significant beyond Ulm, because it showed that “after all that horror and scandalous injustice” committed by the Nazi regime, Jewish life and culture were again at home in Germany.
According to Deutschewelle:
Gauck also used his speech to speak about a couple of things that have worried members of Germany’s Jewish community in recent months, including acts of anti-Semitic violence and a highly charged public debate over the practice of circumcision. Gauck condemned the anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim attitudes expressed by some during the debate, which had begun with concern about a child’s well being.
Designed by Kister Scheithauer Gross architects and urban planners, the cube-like synagogue, which also houses the Jewish community center, mikveh, school and offices, somewhat resembles (on a smaller scale) the building of Jewish museum in Munich, inaugurated in 2006 as part of a complex including a new synagogue and Jewish community center.
The web site worldarchitecturenews.com provided details:
The building’s most distinctive feature is the large window with the Star of David pattern across which is orientated to indicate the direction of Jerusalem. […] The diagonal room layout creates a corner window in the sacral room, which plays with a pattern of the Star of David as a space framework. With 600 openings, the synagogue is illuminated from many points, with the focal point being the liturgical centerpiece; the Torah shrine. The perforations in the façade created with a high-pressure water jet, illuminate the shrine inside and project the idea of the synagogue outwards.
See pictures of the synagogue and read the full article, with more details
The architects’ web site states:
In 2009, the Israelite Religious Community in Württemberg (IRGW) decided to build a new synagogue for its orthodox community in Ulm and, together with the city of Ulm, initiated a competition. The city placed the building site in the middle of the Weinhof, just a stone’s throw from the former synagogue, which was destroyed during Kristallnacht.
“The team from Cologne succeeded in enriching this highly sensitive location in the city of Ulm, without detracting from its unique character,” said the city’s head of construction, Alexander Wetzig, following the jury’s decision in January 2010.
In the completed build, the cuboid is lower and shorter than initially planned during the competition. It is now 24 meters wide, 16 deep and at 17 meters high, much lower than the nearby Schwörhaus.
“The synagogue and the Jewish community centre are included in one single structure. The compact cuboid is free standing in the square. This position is historical: in the Kristallnacht in 1938, the former synagogue, which was enclosed in a road side development, was destroyed. After World War II, a secular building was constructed in the space. The synagogue and the Jewish community lost its ancestral place in the centre of Ulm. The construction of the current synagogue has opened a new site, in the middle of the square. It is as though the synagogue has taken a step forward from its former position, it has reclaimed its location. With no constructed borders, it stands abrupt and solitary on the Weinhof,” explains Prof. Susanne Gross regarding the urban building concept.
1 comment on “New synagogue in Ulm, Germany”
HELLO,
I will we in Liechtenstein with a group of Israeli hikers from June 10-17 hiking the Liechenstein Trail. I want to leave the group on the last day and take a train to ULM and see the Minster and also see your beautiful synagogue if possible . I will arrive in ULM by train on June 16 around 11AM and take a train to Memmingen around 6PM to join the group for dinner before we fly back to Israel the next morning. When can I see the synagogue on June 16?
Thank you,
Avi Rotem