Glockengasse Synagogue

The synagogue bells alley was a synagogue in the city of Cologne, which was built according to the plans of the cathedral architect Ernst Friedrich Zwirner. It was built on the site of the former monastery at the bells alley. The total costs were borne by Abraham Freiherr von Oppenheim. The foundation stone was laid on 30 June 1857, on 29 August 1861, the synagogue was inaugurated. 1867 burned down the synagogue and was reconstructed according to old plans. During the pogroms of November 1938, it was just like other Cologne synagogues destroyed. Today, a bronze plaque on the facade of the Opera House reminds on the outskirts of Offenbach place at the site of the former synagogue.

Architecture

Ground plan

She was the earliest example of a central building over a Greek cross, which was überkuppelt. The four cross arms of the synagogue in Glockenstrasse reported, similar to Byzantine buildings, the same dimensions on. Through the connection of the cross- shape with a square developed at the corners of interstices. The northern interstices on the facade side of the synagogue served as staircases for woman galleries.

From the plan of the Cologne synagogue can be seen that the dome was enrolled in the center square, in the center of the square stood the Bima.

The central position of Bima in architecture demonstrated that the community still clung to the old ideas, whereas the Cologne synagogue on Roonstraße a new room layout shows that had been developed on the basis of the reform thought.

A lower Bautrakt the porch with five rooms had been built out of the square building on the street side. The five rooms served as access to the stairwells for woman galleries, as entrance for the men to the main synagogue and as a residence for the beadle.

Exterior architecture

A higher projecting central projection was flanked on both sides with side wings and wore as a top end one battlements. Zwirner used four small minaret similar domed turrets as essays above the cornice, in contrast to the synagogue of the Jewish Community in the Tempelgasse 3 in Vienna, whose turrets crowned column-like pillars. The rosette of the large window on the facade is Gothic influences. About the crossing was a drum dome with a high durchfensterten drum. This finished off with a lantern and an onion dome.

Interior Design

The synagogue was, as already mentioned, a central building over a Greek cross, which was überkuppelt. The four equally long, Byzantine cross arms of the synagogue on Glockenstrasse were all equipped with a barrel vault, wherein the truss, which supports and arches made ​​of cast iron existed. Apart from the eastern arm of the other three arms of the cross were equipped with two-storey woman galleries, while the Aron HaKodesh was in the eastern arm of the cross, the wall of the eastern transept and the four large arches that supported the dome, with stucco work of Joseph Hartz home in a diamond pattern and had been decorated with a motif of intertwined squares and by Friedrich Peter from casting painted in blue, red and gold. The stucco corresponded to the painted stucco of the Alhambra rooms.

The woman galleries were each supported by six pillars, which had a very fine and delicate shape due to the iron construction, with the Emporenbalustrade been decorated with stucco work of the Hartz Home and was painted by Peter in a golden hue.

The dome and the vaults were the only building that had not been provided with stucco. These had been painted blue by Petri and dotted with golden stars.

The Aaron HaKodesh was created by the Cologne sculptor Stephan, where he used white Carrara marble and a horseshoe arch sat in the center of the shrine. Furthermore, in Stephan the capitals of the Alhambra and the minaret -like tower towers with onion domes of the exterior facade came here when Aaron HaKodesh used. The water basin of the mikveh in the basement was also created by Stephan and was from the same marble as the Aaron HaKodesh.