Olomouc Synagogue

The Synagogue of Olomouc (Czech: Synagoga v Olomouci; German and Israelite Temple ) was located at the former Maria -Theresia -Platz in the Moravian city of Olomouc. It was built in the years 1895-1897 by the Austrian architect Jakob Gartner. In March 1939, it was destroyed during the attack of the German Wehrmacht.

History

In the late 1850s the Olomouc Jewish " Izraelitische Cultusverein " was founded. The performing regular worship services in rented halls in 1859 was due to the efforts of Hermann branch and the Jewish scholar and physicist Adolf breaker. The services were officially approved by the authorities in 1860. In 1892, the " Cultusverein " into a " Cultusgemeinde " was converted. At this time the idea arose to build a synagogue. 1894 acquired the municipality a property at Theresientor. The new synagogue was designed by Jakob Gartner (1861-1921) and consecrated by Rabbi Berthold Oppenheim, the first rabbi of the congregation, on 11 April 1897. Adjacent to the synagogue a two-story house with apartments and offices was built for managing tasks. In 1904, the city had 21,933 inhabitants Olomouc, 1,676 of whom were Jewish.

After the invasion of the Wehrmacht, the synagogue was attacked and set on fire, among others, local fanatical fascists in the night from 15th to 16th March 1939. They prevented the fire brigade at the Urban delete, so that the synagogue was burned. What remained of the building ornamentation, decoration, was looted. The rubble was cleared in winter 1939/40, and by 1941 the area in a grassy park was converted. In 1955 there is a monument of Lenin and Stalin was erected, which was removed in 1990. Today is located on the site of a parking lot; at a neighboring building and Palacký University, a memorial plaque was placed.

Virtual Reconstruction

In his diploma thesis at the Vienna University of Technology Kazimierz Robert Wieczorek presented in 2011 establishes a virtual reconstruction of the synagogue.