Synagoge Aachen, Synagogue in Aachen, Germany

The Neue Synagoge in Aachen, dedicated in 1995 to plans by Alfred Jacoby, stands on Synagogenplatz where the 1862 synagogue by Wilhelm Wickop was burned in 1938. Its broad light-clinker front curves concavely around the semicircular square, echoing Jerusalem, and carries a Hebrew inscription over the portal. Behind the glass wall lie a foyer with seven prayer tablets and a round prayer room for about 300, lit from a glazed dome above the central Almemor.

This building was constructed in 1995 on the site of an earlier synagogue from 1862, which was destroyed during the November 1938 pogroms by the National Socialist regime. The new structure stands as a memorial to what the Jewish community of Aachen endured.

The Torah shrine is flanked by eight vertical stained-glass windows designed by Johannes Schreiter, and only two of the scrolls are still used for prayer. Twelve wall panels bear the symbols of the Twelve Tribes of Israel; there are no images or statues. A mezuzah on the right doorpost is touched by worshippers entering.

The location sits centrally in Aachen and is easy to reach on foot. The Jewish Community maintains limited office hours on weekdays, so planning ahead makes sense if you wish to visit the building inside.

Five stones from the original synagogue were incorporated into the new facade during reconstruction. These stones create a direct link between the destroyed predecessor and the building that stands today.