Synagogen#

Synagogues, Jewish community houses of worship, in Austria documented from the mid-13th century onwards (Krems, Wiener Neustadt, Vienna), synagogues from the mid-14th century still extant at Bruck an der Leitha and Korneuburg. The first synagogue in Vienna was located on what is today Judenplatz square, Vienna 1, and the second in Vienna's 2nd district, Alexander Poch-Platz (today, the church of St. Leopold). The "City Temple" (central synagogue) in Seitenstettengasse in the 1st district, which was built between 1824 and 1826, is still in use. Construction of synagogues was subject to permission by the protector of Jewish communities. Stylistically, synagogues from various periods were similar to the Christian churches of the period in question, but they were invariably orientated towards the East and furnished in line with Jewish law. Most synagogues were owned by Jewish communities. When Jews were expelled, the synagogues were either destroyed (Vienna 1421),converted into churches (Wiener Neustadt 1497, Vienna 1671) or used for public purposes (Bruck an der Leitha 1496). During the inter-war period, there were some 35 synagogues in Austria (25 in Vienna),not counting more than 100 prayer-houses and private meeting rooms. About half of them were destroyed during the November Pogrom and most of the others were razed or used for secular purposes (e.g. as a fire-fighting centre in the Vorarlberg community of Hohenems). Today the Jewish communities in Vienna, Graz, Linz and Salzburg, the Austrian Jewish Museum and a number of religious societies have their own synagogues or prayer-rooms.

Literature#