Alte Synagoge Erfurt
Museum in the oldest synagogue in Central Europe preserved up to its roof, with the Erfurt Treasure and medieval Hebrew manuscripts.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The oldest surviving parts of the synagogue walls date from the late 11th century; timbers from this building phase were dated to the year 1094. Around 1270, a representative new building with a rose window and lancet windows was erected; around 1300, it was extended to the north and raised. After the pogrom of 1349, the city sold the damaged house, and for almost half a millennium it was used as a warehouse.
In the late 19th century, a restaurant with a dance hall moved in, and parts of its stucco and painting have survived. Only building investigations from 1992 onward revealed how much medieval fabric lay beneath the extensions. The city acquired the structurally endangered building in 1998 and had it restored by 2009, deliberately leaving the traces of the various uses visible.
On October 27, 2009, the museum on the history of Erfurt's medieval Jewish community opened here. On the first floor, the exhibition covers the building's history; in the basement lies the Erfurt Treasure, which a man buried during the pogrom of 1349. On the second floor, the Erfurt Hebrew manuscripts are the theme; in the courtyard stand gravestones from the destroyed medieval cemetery. The complex also includes the mikveh and the Steinerne Haus.
Highlights
- Oldest synagogue in Central Europe preserved up to its roof
- Erfurt Treasure in the basement
- Hebrew manuscripts on the second floor
- Gravestones of the medieval Jewish cemetery in the courtyard
- Guided tours to the nearby medieval mikveh
Permanent exhibition
- Dauerausstellung Alte Synagoge – The museum shows the building history of the synagogue, the Erfurt Treasure, Hebrew manuscripts and gravestones from the medieval cemetery, and tells the story of Erfurt's first Jewish community.
- Founded
- 2009
- Operated by
- Landeshauptstadt Erfurt (Geschichtsmuseen Erfurt)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €8 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5 |
| Children & teens | –School classes and day-care groups free when part of lessons |
| Groups | –School classes and day-care groups are admitted free of charge as part of lessons. |
| Families | €17Family ticket |
| Group overview tour (60 min., up to 15 people) | €90per group, plus admission |
| Group tour of the Old Synagogue and mikveh (120 min., up to 15 people) | €135per group, plus admission |
| Group tour of the mikveh (45 min., up to 25 people) | €90per group, no admission |
Free admission: The city museums offer free admission on the first Tuesday of every month, and on Open Monument Day as well.
Prices for regular operation. Guided tours in English, Russian or French carry a €20 surcharge.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description: no information
All exhibition areas are reachable by lift. The video guide can be used with an induction loop by hearing-impaired visitors; tactile tours for visually impaired visitors can be booked through the museum education department. Tours in easy language on request.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Family ticket | €17 · Family ticket |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
Pixi book about the museum; detective tour "Rätselspaß aus dem Rucksack" for children and families (available at the ticket desk); worksheets; and interactive tours for children and youth groups. During the autumn holidays there is a rally through the Jewish quarter.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Fischmarkt
City tram lines 3, 4 and 6, stop Fischmarkt
By car
Paid parking
Car park Rathausgasse, paid parking.
Navigation address: Waagegasse 8, 99084 Erfurt.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | A video guide leads through the house. Public guided tours for individual visitors take place on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:15, followed by a mikveh tour at 11:45 (reservation by email by Thursday 12:00, up to four tickets). School classes can walk through the house on their own with iPods and worksheets. |
