Hollandse Synagoge, Moorish Revival synagogue in southern Antwerp, Belgium.
The Hollandse Synagoge is a synagogue on Bouwmeestersstraat in Antwerp, designed by Joseph Hertogs and Ernest Stordiau and inaugurated in 1893. Its grey-and-white banded stone facade has two square towers with dark ribbed onion domes, a round-arched recess with a circular traceried window between them, and a lower curved roof with a thin spire. The prayer hall is a three-aisled space with a semicircular apse and a monumental Torah ark.
The synagogue was built in 1893 as the first large Jewish place of worship in the city. During World War II, a bomb damaged the structure severely in 1944, leaving marks that would require later restoration efforts.
The building became a center for the local Jewish community who gathered here to worship and observe their traditions in this part of the city. The layout with galleries for women on three sides reflects how the space was designed for their religious practices.
The synagogue is an active Orthodox congregation, so visits are normally limited to Shabbat morning services, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, plus weddings. It stands at Bouwmeestersstraat 7 in the 't Zuid district, south of the city centre. The building was listed as a protected monument on 17 September 1976.
During recent restoration work, craftspeople uncovered the original painted decorations on the walls, which had been hidden under layers of paint for many decades. These revived designs reveal fine details that had been lost from view.
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