Obj. ID: 25282
Jewish Architecture  Synagogue in Nijmegen, The Netherlands

The synagogue in Nijmegen (Gerard Noodtstraat 121) was consecrated on April 11 in the year 1913. The architect Oscar Leeuw (1866-1944) designed the building in a Neo-Moorish architectural style. The building features a small dome, horseshoe-shaped arches, geometrical patterns and stained glass windows. The main façade includes a larger tower, adorned with the Stone Tablets, containing four smaller turrets positioned around the dome. The main entrance originally contained a Hebrew inscription which has been replaced by the text ‘Natuurmuseum’. The interior was adorned with wall decorations and included a U-shaped wooden women’s gallery and a Torah ark (dated ca. 1731). The Torah ark was taken from the synagogue along the Nonnenstraat.

The interior, including the Torah ark, was looted during the Second World War. After the war, Jewish religious services resumed in adjacent buildings (Gerard Noodtstraat 123-127). In 2000, the Jewish community moved to the Nonnenstraat synagogue.

The synagogue was redeveloped as the Natuurmuseum in the year 1980 and was drastically renovated in 1988.

In October 2017, the Natuurmuseum moved to a new location along the Waalkade ('De Bastei'). 

In 2023 it was announced that the former synagogue became an upscale sport center.