Maribor Synagogue, Gothic synagogue in Maribor, Slovenia

This structure is a Gothic synagogue from the late medieval period with stone walls carved with Hebrew inscriptions. Inside, the building features a wide niche designed to hold the Ark of Covenant and preserves other architectural elements from its time as a house of prayer.

First mentioned in 1354, the synagogue was built in the late 13th or early 14th century. It served the Ashkenazi community until 1497, when the Jews were expelled from Maribor and scattered across Europe, especially to Italy. In 1501 the building became the Catholic Church of All Saints.

The street name Židovska ulica ("Jewish Street") marks the former ghetto where the synagogue stood. A 1354 document calls it Judenshul and shows it served Christians and Jews as a place of business and law, not only worship. Rabbi Israel Isserlein, born in Maribor, taught Talmud here in the early 15th century.

The former synagogue stands at Židovska ulica 4, in the southeastern part of the old town, its south wall resting on the medieval city walls and supported by three stepped Gothic buttresses. The entrance is on Jewish Street, in what was the medieval ghetto. The building is a museum and cultural-exhibition venue, so allow time for the displays on the Jewish community of Maribor and Slovenia.

Something unusual occurred in the 15th century when certain Catholic families in Maribor sought to convert to Judaism, a rare event for that time. These conversions reveal that the Jewish community earned respect and curiosity from those around them.