In the oldest Central European synagogue, there is a museum

Erfurt (Germany) - The oldest synagogue in Central Europe can be visited from today by interested parties in the German city of Erfurt. The former Jewish sanctuary from the 11th century, with a troubled history, has been transformed into a museum that showcases Jewish medieval treasures. The group "Jewish Life in Erfurt" informed about this on its website. The Prague Old-New Synagogue, which is the oldest functioning synagogue in the world, dates back to the 13th century.
    Construction of the Erfurt synagogue began in 1094. It was built just a few meters from the town hall. As early as the 12th century, according to the DPA agency, the sanctuary underwent a Gothic reconstruction. Around 1270, it was expanded, resulting in an impressive gable with a rose window that has been preserved to this day.
    After the plague, for which the residents blamed the Jews, the community suffered a pogrom in 1349. 900 people did not survive it, and the synagogue was damaged. The city then sold it to a merchant who converted it into a storage facility. In the 19th century, the building housed a dance hall, an inn, and a bowling alley. After centuries, the original purpose of the building was forgotten, which saved it from destruction during the Nazi regime.
    Experts suspected, however, that an old synagogue was located in the city center. An exploration began in the late 1980s. The city has now repaired the dilapidated building using funds from the EU, the state, and the federal state of Thuringia. The reconstruction and establishment of the exhibition cost around two million euros (about 50 million crowns).
    Visitors can now view not only an ancient Bible on parchment in Hebrew but also a rare Jewish treasure. According to DPA, about 660 years ago, before the pogrom, a local merchant buried it under the threshold of one of the houses. Particularly valuable is a large wedding ring shaped like a Gothic house or temple from the 13th or early 14th century. However, the museum's management considers the synagogue itself to be the most significant exhibited "item."
    "The monument is our exhibit number one. With it, Erfurt can truly score culturally and historically as well as culturally politically," said the museum's director Ines Beese to DPA. She believes that, thanks to the renovated Old Synagogue, Jewish cemeteries, and the medieval ritual bath mikveh, Erfurt will become one of the most important Jewish centers of the Middle Ages alongside Prague, Speyer, and Worms. The city is striving for inclusion on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
    The chairwoman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Charlotta Knobloch, believes that the museum could contribute to greater understanding between Jews and German society and to the revival of the Jewish community in Erfurt, the majority of which is made up of immigrants from Russia.
    The exhibition can be seen daily except Monday from 10:00 to 18:00. The admission fee for adults is five euros (about 125 crowns), for children and students 1.5 euros (about 38 crowns). School classes have free admission.