Ehemalige Synagoge St. Pölten
Art Nouveau synagogue of 1913, since 2024 a memorial and cultural venue with a permanent exhibition on the Jewish community of St. Pölten; open April to November.
No sound? Check your device’s silent switch.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The synagogue was built in 1913 to plans by Theodor Schreier and Viktor Postelberg for the Israelite Community of St. Pölten, which then had over 900 members across its wide catchment area. With its rich Art Nouveau wall ornamentation it was regarded as one of the most important Jewish sacred buildings of the late monarchy.
After the "Anschluss" in 1938 the community was robbed, expelled and deported; 321 people from St. Pölten and the surrounding area were murdered in the Shoah. During the November pogrom the building was badly devastated and subsequently appropriated by the city. A Jewish community was not re-established after 1945; in 1954 the Israelite Community of Vienna received the building back, and it then increasingly fell into disrepair.
A first renovation by the federal government, the province and the city took place from 1980 to 1984, and in 1988 the Institute for Jewish History in Austria moved into the adjoining cantor's house. As part of Kultur St. Pölten 2024 the building was restored again and adapted to be barrier-free, and reopened in April 2024 as the Former Synagogue St. Pölten. Today it is operated by the Lower Austrian Museum Operating Company as a place for history, remembrance and the present, with a permanent exhibition, changing exhibitions in the women's gallery, concerts and the Jewish Weekends festival.
Highlights
- Restored Art Nouveau wall paintings beneath the 14.5-metre-high dome
- Permanent exhibition "The Synagogue and Its Community" in the women's gallery
- Memorial installation "Jahrzeit" for the 321 Shoah victims of the region
- Free cultural mediators on guided-tour Sundays
Permanent exhibitions
- Die Synagoge und ihre Gemeinde – Presentation around the women's gallery on the construction, destruction and renovations of the synagogue, as well as on the life and fate of the Jewish community, with surviving objects, photos and documents.
- Shoah-Gedenken „Jahrzeit“ – An installation that, changing monthly, commemorates one of the 321 murdered Jewish men and women from St. Pölten and the surrounding area on the day of their death or deportation.
- Founded
- 2024
- Operated by
- Niederösterreichische Museum Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H.
- Director
- Martha Keil
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4Seniors aged 65 and over, students, apprentices, groups of 20 or more, people with disabilities |
| Children & teens | €3.50free up to age 6 · Children up to 6 years free; 7 to 18 years €3.50. |
| Seniors | €4From 65 years |
| Visitors with disabilities | €4companion free · A companion noted in the disability pass has free admission. |
| Students & apprentices | €4Students and apprentices |
| Groups (20+ people) | €4 per personFrom 20 people; the Niederösterreich-CARD is not valid for groups of 20 or more. |
| Families | €122 adults and up to 4 children up to the age of 18 |
| Combination ticket with Museum Niederösterreich (same day) | €14Children and young people €7.50 |
| Tour per person (plus admission) | €5.50Groups of up to 20 people: tour flat fee €110 plus €5 admission per person |
| stp MuseumsCard | €18Valid for one year, one free admission each to the Former Synagogue, KinderKunstLabor, Museum am Dom, Museum Niederösterreich and Stadtmuseum St. Pölten |
Free admission (once) with the Niederösterreich-CARD, not for events. School ticket for school classes €3.50, with tour €4.50. Online ticket purchase before the visit recommended.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The main hall is accessible step-free via the main entrance; a lift to the exhibitions in the women's gallery is located to the left of the side entrance at Lederergasse 12 – please notify the ticket desk beforehand.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Steinergasse / Ehem. Synagoge
LUP city bus lines 7 and 8 to Steinergasse / Ehem. Synagoge (opposite the entrance, approx. 3 minutes from the main station); on foot from St. Pölten main station about 12 minutes through the city centre.
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
Very few parking spaces nearby (short-stay zone); the underground car park in the Kulturbezirk is recommended, free from 5:35 p.m.
LUP buses run every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday, hourly on Sundays and public holidays.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café: not available
- Restaurant: not available
- Museum shop
No café in the building; cafés and restaurants nearby on Wiener Straße, the "Pan Pan" restaurant in the Museum Niederösterreich. Ticket desk with shop.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
- Corporate events
Main hall with stage, foyer with garden, seminar room "Forum" and backstage area; packages for full or half days, free choice of caterer.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Public tour every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month at 3 p.m. (1 hour); on these Sundays a cultural mediator is available for questions from 1 to 5 p.m. Dialogue-based group tours (approx. 60 minutes) on booking via anmeldung@ehemalige-synagoge.at; tours in foreign languages on request. School programmes as an independent search for traces for all school levels. Men do not need a head covering. Animals are not permitted for reasons of monument protection; please do not touch the wall paintings. |
