World News
Vienna’s Historic Stadttempel Reopens After Major Restoration
Austria’s largest synagogue, which survived the Nazi pogroms of 1938, has reopened after more than 10 months of renovations as it marks its 200th anniversary.
Vienna’s historic Stadttempel synagogue has reopened following an extensive restoration project, returning the Austrian capital’s Jewish community to one of the most important centers of Jewish life in the country.
The synagogue reopened on September 9 after ten and a half months of work. Around 450 members of Vienna’s Jewish community attended the ceremony, which included a procession carrying a new Torah scroll from Judenplatz to the synagogue. Mezuzot were also placed on the building following the reopening.
“We are home again,” Oskar Deutsch, president of the Jewish Community of Vienna, said at the ceremony. He thanked the Austrian government, the City of Vienna and hundreds of donors from Austria and abroad for supporting the restoration.
The Stadttempel opened on April 9, 1826, and is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. Designed by Austrian architect Joseph Kornhäusel, the synagogue serves as the spiritual center of Vienna’s Jewish community and is the largest synagogue in Austria.
It also holds a unique place in the history of Austrian Jewry.
When the synagogue was built, regulations prevented non-Catholic houses of worship from facing directly onto major streets. As a result, the Stadttempel was constructed inside a residential complex and hidden from the street. That design later helped save it from destruction during the Nazi pogroms of November 1938 because setting the synagogue on fire would also have endangered the surrounding residential buildings.
While the building survived, Nazis vandalized its interior and later used it as a collection point for Vienna’s Jews before their deportation during the Holocaust. The Stadttempel eventually returned to use after the war and remains an active synagogue today.
The latest restoration included upgrades to fire safety, security and accessibility, as well as improvements to the building’s technical systems and entrance areas. Workers also restored historic features, including the synagogue’s columns and blue-painted dome.
Chief Rabbi Jaron Engelmayer described the reopening as a sign of Jewish continuity.
“As the only still-active synagogue that survived the Shoah, the restoration is symbolically an investment in the future and in Jewish life in Vienna and Austria,” he said.
Austria is also marking the synagogue’s anniversary with a commemorative postage stamp featuring its interior. The Austrian postal service produced 150,000 copies of the €2 stamp.
A central ceremony marking the Stadttempel’s reopening and 200th anniversary is scheduled for Wednesday evening, with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig and Jewish community leaders expected to participate.
