Ehemalige Synagoge Reckendorf

About the museum

After the Thirty Years' War, numerous Jewish families settled in Reckendorf; at the beginning of the 19th century they made up more than a third of the inhabitants, and from 1762 until the 1860s the village had its own rabbi. The synagogue on Ahornweg, the former Jewish lane, was built between 1727 and 1732 as a free-standing sandstone building with a half-hipped roof. In 1851 the interior was adapted to contemporary taste; the floor was raised and remains of the Baroque furnishings were kept beneath it.

On 10 November 1938, Nazi squads smashed the furnishings and burned them outside the village. The building itself survived because residents of the narrow lane feared the fire would spread. In 1939 it passed under duress to the municipality; afterwards the rooms served as a prisoner-of-war camp, as a factory and finally as a storehouse for the local castle brewery.

In 2001 the municipality of Reckendorf acquired the former synagogue, had it restored from 2003 and opened it in 2005 as a House of Culture for concerts, talks, weddings and celebrations; an octagon in the parquet floor marks the place of the former bimah. In the women's gallery, an exhibition shows items from the genizah under the roof: religious and secular writings discarded over some four centuries, Torah binders and tefillin as well as clothing and everyday objects, plus relics of the later commercial users. A Jewish child's pair of trousers from the find was named one of Bavaria's 100 heritage treasures in 2018.

Highlights

• Rural synagogue from 1727/32 with a half-hipped roof
• Genizah finds from around 400 years in the women's gallery
• Torah binders, tefillin and Hebrew writings
• Jewish child's trousers – one of Bavaria's 100 heritage treasures
• Circular trail "Auf jüdischen Spuren" (On Jewish Traces) through the village

Permanent exhibition

• Kultur und Kultus – Funde aus der Genisa – Exhibition in the women's gallery on the history of the Jewish community of Reckendorf with finds from the synagogue's genizah: prayer texts, contracts and writing exercises, Torah binders, tefillin and everyday objects such as clothing and shoes, as well as traces of the later factory use.

Founded

2005

Operated by

Gemeinde Reckendorf

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Weddings / ceremonies

The House of Culture can be hired for cultural events, private celebrations, talks, seminars and wedding receptions; civil weddings are possible. Enquiries by phone on 09544 20307 (Mon–Fri 8:00–10:00).