Old Synagogue

Picture: The Old Synagogue with its oldest wall section from the late 11th century is probably the earliest evidence of Jewish life in Erfurt. Picture: © Papenfuss - Atelier für Gestaltung

The Old Synagogue, with parts dating from the 11^th century, is the oldest synagogue in Central Europe that has been preserved up to its roof. In 2009 an extraordinary museum and space was created here, in which medieval reminders of the Erfurt Jewish community can be viewed. Together with the documentation of the building history of the synagogue itself it provides an insight into the life of the Erfurt community, which in the Middle Ages held a prominent position in Europe.

The exhibition in the Old Synagogue shows the history of the first Jewish community in Erfurt. In the courtyard gravestones of the destroyed medieval cemetery can be seen. The building history of the synagogue is the subject on the ground floor. The cellar houses the treasure found near the synagogue, which a Jew buried during the pogrom of 1349. The Erfurt Hebrew Manuscripts are addressed on the upper floor.