The Vienna City Temple is to be extensively renovated after 36 years
Der Standard, September 12, 2024
German original: Der Wiener Stadttempel soll nach 36 Jahren umfassend saniert werden - Inland - derStandard.at › Inland
The largest and oldest active synagogue in Austria was the only one not to be completely burned down in 1938 nt, the listed building complex will be 200 years old in 2026.
The Vienna City Temple of the Jewish Community (IKG) in Seitenstettengasse is not only the largest synagogue in Austria, it is also the oldest that is still active. Only the Seitenstetten Temple was not completely burnt down by the Nazis during the pogrom night in November 1938. This also had to do with its location in the narrow city center.
"Come to its gates with thanksgiving, to its courts with praise!" is written in Hebrew above the street-side entrance. The synagogue is not only the spiritual center of the Jews, around 800 of whom come to services on the high holidays, it is also visited by around 12,000 people a year as part of guided tours, including many schoolchildren.
Local inspection
On Thursday morning, a brief site inspection took place with IKG President Oskar Deutsch, IKG Secretary General Benjamin Nägele, Chief Rabbi Jaron Engelmayer and architect Eric-Emanuel Tschaikner (KENH Architekten ZT GmbH). They told the media representatives about the comprehensive plans for the city temple and the community center in Seitenstettengasse.
The listed building complex, which was opened in 1826, was designed by Austrian architect Joseph Kornhäusel in the neoclassical style. Rather inconspicuous on the outside, as prescribed by the laws for non-Catholic sacred buildings at the time, the city temple only reveals its full beauty when you enter it. Guests are particularly impressed by the sky-blue dome with 600 stars.
However, it has been 36 years since the last renovation. In the fall of 2025, after the major holidays (Rosh ha-Shanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, as well as Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles), extensive work will therefore begin and be completed as planned in the fall of 2026 - before the holidays. The renovation of the community center will then begin in 2026. In the same year, the ICG will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the temple.
A lot has been planned for this time: including the restoration of the street-side and listed windows, the renovation of the façade of the ensemble, an improved fire protection concept including necessary conversion work, the renewal of the entrance situation and the foyer, the activation of a second staircase, the redesign of the foyer and the adaptation of security precautions. The Seitenstetten Temple was the scene of terrorist attacks in 1979, 1981 and 2020.
Barrier-free places
Furthermore, the sanitary facilities are to be renovated and made partially barrier-free, floors and furniture need to be repaired or replaced, and the lighting, building services, ventilation, acoustics and heating are to be renewed and made energy-efficient. The prayer pulpit is also to be adapted, prayer benches replaced and additional barrier-free spaces created.
This will cost around 9.8 million euros, with the IKG inviting the whole of Austria to contribute to the financing through donations. "Today I am proud to be able to say: The City Temple, like Judaism itself, belongs to Austria," said IKG President Oskar Deutsch on Thursday, "it is a symbol of our republic and therefore affects us all. The City Temple and the community center stand for a lively Jewish presence."
Deutsch invites "the entire population to get involved" and support the project: "Every donation helps us. In doing so, you are sending a signal for an open, democratic and diverse Austria." Incidentally, for donations of 2500 euros or more, one of the stars in the dome will be dedicated to the donor.