Synagogue Of Glockengasse 1861 1938
50 56 '17 "N 6 57' 05" E / 50.9381, 6.95126
The synagogue Glockengasse (the Bell Lane) was, before the Second World War , one of two large synagogues in Cologne (State of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany ) with that of Roonstrasse. Inaugurated in 1861 , it was destroyed like the Roonstrasse and as more than 600 other German synagogues by the Nazis during the Kristallnacht of 9 to 10 November 1938.
Summary |
History
From the Roman Empire, there was mention of a presence Jewish Cologne. It is confirmed by a decree of 321 the Emperor Constantine. Since that time, Jews were repeatedly accepted then driven from the city and built their synagogue to be destroyed again.
It was not until 1798 that Jewish citizens are getting the French administration of the city permission to settle permanently. The first small synagogue was built in 1804 in the Glockengasse on secular grounds of the convent of Poor Clares. From the 1850s , it appears that this synagogue is too small for the growing Jewish population of the city and a new synagogue to be built higher.
Cologne's Jewish community managed to maintain unity by adopting a moderate position between Orthodox Judaism and Reform Judaism. Until 1857 the community of Cologne was governed by the Presbytery of Bonn. In 1857, its first Rabbi Schwarz is Israel, followed by Abraham Frank ( 1876 - 1917 ), Ludwig Rosenthal (assistant rabbi from 1879 ) and Adolf Kober ( 1918 -1938).
On 30 June 1857 the foundation stone of the synagogue is set on the grounds of the former convent of Poor Clares .
At the inauguration in 1861, great celebrations are held which involved representatives of the crown of the city and other religions.
During the Kristallnacht of November 9 to 10, 1938, the synagogue was burned by the Nazis. The priest Gustav Meinertz ( 1873 - 1959 ) succeeded, despite the danger, to enter the synagogue on fire, and rescue a Torah scroll. After the war, this roll was returned to the Jewish community, and is exposed in a showcase in the synagogue on Roonstrasse, rebuilt after the war.
Foundations and the mikvah has been preserved and are under the Offenbachplatz. At the site of the destroyed synagogue was built in Cologne Opera. A bronze plaque on the front side of the building commemorates the destruction of the synagogue.
Before the war, the Jewish community of Cologne was the largest in Germany after Berlin and had about 20,000 members. After the Holocaust, there were only forty survivors. Currently the community has about 5000 members.
Architecture
The exterior and the interior organization of the building must remember the days of the heyday of Jewish culture in Spain in the eleventh century, under Moorish domination. The new synagogue with its minarets and oriental dome covered with plates of copper shiny, has a facade stoneware with bright red transverse bands. The ornamentation of the interior was inspired by the Alhambra in Granada. The complex, which was warmly welcomed by the majority of the inhabitants of Cologne, offers 226 seats for men and 140 women in the prayer hall.
Map of the synagogue
This is the first example of a synagogue whose central plan in the shape of a Greek cross and is surmounted by a dome . At the four corners in the section between the cross and the square that circumscribes, are located four small rooms used as a vestibule . The stairs to access the galleries of women, are located in both lobbies north, overlooking the front of the synagogue .
Under the plan, the dome is placed in the middle of the central square of the cross, above the place where is located the bimah .
The central position of the bimah demonstrates that the community has preserved the old ways , while the other main synagogue in Cologne, one located in the Roonstrasse, built in 1895 - 1899 , will present a new division of the space , based on the current of thought reform. A body building lowest, built side street outside the square formed by the synagogue, and divided into five parts, provides access to the stairs for women, serves as a portal of entry of the main prayer hall for men and housing for the caretaker of the synagogue.
External Architecture
The preliminary core set higher, a slight jump, and the two side wings are topped with a belt slots. Zwirner added four small turrets shaped minaret, topped by a small dome bulb , as an ornament above the cornice , which differentiates them from those of the synagogue Tempelgasse in Vienna where the turrets crown the pillars .
The rosette of the large window on the facade of influence Gothic . Above the transept is the drum of the dome with high windows, surmounted by hemispherical dome, itself crowned by a lantern with a small dome bulb.
Interior Architecture
As mentioned, the synagogue has a plan centered on a Greek cross, surmounted by a dome are all fitted with a barrel vault , including framing, supports and hangers based on cast iron pillars.
With the exception of the arm, the other three arms of the cross has two floors of galleries for women , while the Ark is located in the arm. The wall of the arm is decorated with diamond patterns woven into square stucco , made by Josef Hartzheim and painted by Friedrich Petri Gieen in blue, red and gold. The stucco is reminiscent of parts of the Alhambra .
The galleries of women based on six columns each cast a very sleek and slim . The balustrade of the gallery is decorated with a stucco of Hartzheim, painted by Petri-tone gold.
The four large arches that support the dome are also decorated with stucco and painted in blue, red and gold to evoke the Alhambra .
The dome and barrel vaults are the only elements of construction that are not covered with stucco. Petri has painted blue with gold stars to represent the sky.
The Ark is the work of sculptor Stephan from Cologne, who used the marble white Carrara . The central part of the holy ark in the shape of a horseshoe, and to remind the Alhambra and the faade of the synagogue, Stephan has added to both sides, the minaret-like structures with domes bulb. At the top of the pediment , stand the Tables of the Law.
The pond's Mikwe, the basement was also created by Stephan and was of the same marble as the Holy Ark.
Notes
Reference
- (De) This article is partially or entirely from the article in German entitled " Synagogue Glockengasse (Kln) "(see the list of authors )
- (From): Hannelore Knzli: Islamische Stilelemente im Synagogenbau of 19. und frhen 20. Jahrhunderts. Verlag Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main u. a. 1984, ISBN 3-8204-8034-X (Judentum und Umwelt, 9).
Zur Synagoge in der Klner Glockengasse S. 123, 156, 186, 265, 283, S. 284, 296, 297, 298, 302, 303, 311, 312, 324, 348, 350, 365, 385, 397, 498.
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