Synagogue in Genthin
Object Detail
Building Date
1926-1928
Synagogue active dates
1928-1936
Reconstruction Dates
1936-1937
Style
Unknown|
Material/Technique
Exposed brick construction. The domes were covered by leaden sheet. The women’s gallery and the ceiling were presumably made of wood.
Construction Material
Brick
Summary and Remarks
In the town archives of Genthin, some primary sketches and plans of the architect of 1928 are preserved (site plan, ground plan, plan of gallery, north and south walls and west facade, longitudinal and latitudinal sections). These drawings give no details. Two historical photos show the south-west corner of the building, but the eastern facade, not shown in photos, is questionable. The interior can be reconstructed according to the cross-sections, though nothing is known of the furniture and its arrangement.
Suggested Reconsdivuction
History/Provenance
1926 - begin of planning a new synagogue
Initiated by the head of the community Hugo Magnus, money was raised for the erection of a new synagogue, because the members of the community were unable to finance the building on their own. The allocated plot by the authorities did not suit the needs, and another location was finally approved. Two applications for the erection of a synagogue, dated on May 1928, can be found in the authorities’ files. Sketches with different stylistic decorations were proposed. It seems that the authorities influenced the choice of style (No.5).
1928 - consecration of the synagogue on Sunday, October 6th (Nos.4; 5).
1932 - two Jewish families live in Genthin, and have no minyan (No.2, p.177).
1936 - sale of the building by Hugo Magnus to the owner of a saw mill. The domes, the stained glass windows and the furniture were removed (No.1, p.52; No.2, p.177; No.3, p.96).
1937 - alterations to a dwelling house (No.3, p.96).
Condition
Completely reconstructed
Present Usage
Dwelling
Present Usage Details
Historical significance: Event/Period
Historical significance: Collective Memory/Folklore
Historical significance: Person
Architectural Significance: Style
Architectural Significance: Artistic Decoration
Urban significance
Significance Rating
1 (Local)
Condition of Building Fabric
B (Fair)
Bibliography
1. Ahland, Kurt. „Dokumentation: Juden zwischen Elbe und Havel.“ (Genthin, Nov. 1987-Mai 1988, unpublished manuscript in the Town Archive of Genthin).
2. Zeugnisse jüdischer Kultur: Erinnerungsstaetten in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin, Sachsen-Anhalt, Sachsen und Thueringen (Berlin, 1992).
3. Geschichte jüdischer Gemeinden in Sachsen-Anhalt: Versuch einer Erinnerung (Wernigerode, 1997).
4. Genthiner Wochenblatt, 07.10.1928.
5. Town Archive of Genthin, No.633: “Gesuch der Jüdichen Gemeinde um Überlassung eines Bauplatzes zur Errichtung einer Synagoge (1926-1928).”
Short Name
Full Name
Volume
Page
Biography
Photograph Copyright
Center for Jewish Art
Photographer
Unknown
Photograph Date
1998
Remarks
0 Coordinates: 52.404053, 12.161218