Bain rituel juif de Strasbourg

The Bain rituel juif is a medieval ritual bath hidden beneath the old town streets, consisting of a square chamber roughly three meters across with Roman arches supporting its vaulted roof. A central basin collects groundwater for ritual purification purposes.

Built around 1200, this ritual bath served the Jewish community until violence during the Black Death in 1349 forced them out. The tragedy of that year marked the end of medieval Jewish life in Strasbourg.

This ritual bath was a sacred space where the Jewish community performed purification before religious holidays and significant life events. Today the underground chamber speaks to a thriving Jewish presence that once shaped the city's identity.

Access to the bath requires descending stairs into an underground chamber located beneath the old town's modern streets. Visits are typically guided tours that help visitors understand the confined underground space and its historical context.

When excavated in the 1980s beneath modern buildings, wooden framework and brick pavements revealed the sophisticated engineering of medieval Jewish craftsmen. These discoveries show the technical skill invested in maintaining groundwater flow and ritual purity.