Vereinssynagoge Malzgasse, Heritage synagogue in Leopoldstadt district, Vienna, Austria.
The Vereinssynagoge Malzgasse is a small single-story synagogue built in 1884 to plans by Friedrich Schreier for about 100 people, set in the rear courtyard of the Talmud Tora school at Malzgasse 16. When the school was rebuilt in 1906 by Isidor Giesskann and Theodor Schreier, the synagogue was moved into the Hinterhof, where it still stands after later conversions.
The building was constructed in 1884 following plans by Friedrich Schreier as a synagogue for the Jewish community. A major reconstruction took place in 1906 under architects Isidor Giesskann and Theodor Schreier.
The world's first Jewish museum opened at Malzgasse 16 in 1913, before the Nazi authorities closed it and seized its collections. The former synagogue itself was later used as a gymnasium for the Talmud Torah school run by the Machsike Hadas association. Objects from the museum were among the finds recovered from the sealed cellar rubble in 2018.
The former synagogue space now serves as a gymnasium while maintaining its protected status as a heritage monument. The building is part of a school complex and is best visited during the school's accessible hours.
During construction work in February 2018, workers discovered remnants of a 1938 fire, including school items and museum artifacts. These findings reveal the violent events that occurred at this location during that dark period.
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