Synagogue in Munich

The New Synagogue in Munich. Based on a Photograph. Illustrirte Zeitung, 8 October 1887.

Postcard from the book: Jews in Old Postcards and Prints - 24 German Synagogues
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If the Jewish congregation in Munich knew one thing for sure, then that it did not want its new synagogue to be designed in the neo-Moorish style but, instead, in the supposedly more authentically German neo-Romanesque style. (Needless to say, French architects were equally convinced that the neo-Romanesque style was in fact authentically French.) Designed by the non-Jewish local architect Albert Schmidt, it was inaugurated on 16 September 1887. At the time, it was the third largest synagogue in Germany, and numerous observers noted what a wonderful addition it was to the Bavarian capital’s cityscape. On 7 June 1938, during a visit to the city, Hitler personally ordered the destruction of the synagogue. It began two days later. Two film crews were on hand to document the destruction for posterity. Officially, the synagogue urgently needed to be removed to make way for—a car park.