Great Synagogue was the largest synagogue in the city of

Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...

(Kattowitz), in southwestern Poland. It was erected in 1900 in what was then the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

, and was designed by Max Grünfeld. The synagogue was set on fire by the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

in early September 1939 during the invasion of Poland.12.07.2005 Obrona Katowic we Wrześniu 1939 r. S 56.2003. Postanowienie o umorzeniu śledztwa
IPN. 2005

History

The plans to raise a new synagogue in Katowice arose around 1890, when the

Old Synagogue (Katowice) Old Synagogue can refer to: * Old Synagogue (Berlin), Germany * Old Synagogue (Canterbury), England * Old Synagogue (Dortmund), Germany * Old Synagogue (Dubrovnik), Croatia * Old Synagogue (Erfurt), Germany * Old Synagogue (Essen), Germany * Old Sy ...

became too small for the local worshippers. The construction begun in 1896, and the architect in charge was

Max Grünfeld Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) (1 ...

, son of

Ignatz Grünfeld Ignatz is a masculine given name. Notable people with the given name * Ignatz Bubis (1927–1999), German Jewish leader and chairman of the Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland from 1992 to 1999 * Ignatz Leo Nascher (1863–1944), Austrian-born, ...

who designed the old synagogue. The construction was finished in 1900 and the synagogue was opened on 12 October 1900. The synagogue was set on fire by

in early days of September 1939 after they gained control of the city during the invasion of Poland (1939); probably on 8 September.Klaus-Dieter Alicke wrote (''Lexikon der Jüdischen Gemeinden im deutschen Sprachraum'', 2008, ): "die Synagoge urdein Brand gesteckt – unter dem Vorwand, im Gebäude verborgene Heckenschützen unschädlich zu machen. Das Bauwerk brannte völlig nieder, seine Reste wurden danach abgetragen, nach Kriegsende die Freiflache teilweise überbaut." (.. was set on fire - under the pretense to dispose snipers hidden in the building. The fire destroyed the building completely; the remains were removed. After the war, the free area was partially covered with buildings) After the war the few Jews who survived the Holocaust were unable to gather enough resources and support to rebuild the synagogue. Today in the place where this building once stood is a square (Synagogue Square). In the 1988 a monument was raised in the square, dedicated to the Jewish inhabitants of the city who perished during the Second World War. Katowice - Laznia Miejska

Design

The brick synagogue was designed on the basis of a modified

rectangle In Euclidean plane geometry, a rectangle is a quadrilateral with four right angles. It can also be defined as: an equiangular quadrilateral, since equiangular means that all of its angles are equal (360°/4 = 90°); or a parallelogram containi ...

in style mixing Neo-Gothic with Neo-Renaissance, eclecticism and traces of Mauritian style; similar to the style of reformed Judaism synagogues in contemporary Germany. The synagogue had a large

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

with a

cross-ribbed vault A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic ...

over the main prayer chamber which was preceded by a large entrance hall with offices and the chamber of marriage. The main chamber was topped with a

lantern A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle or a wick in oil, and often a battery-powered light in modern timesto make it easier to carry and h ...

. Other characteristics elements included large decorated windows and small towers. The main chamber could hold 1120 people; 670 males and 450 females.

References

{{coord, 50, 15, 40, N, 19, 01, 08, E, region:PL-SL_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title Synagogues completed in 1900 Buildings and structures in Katowice Gothic Revival synagogues Synagogues in Poland destroyed by Nazi Germany Gothic Revival architecture in Poland Renaissance Revival synagogues Synagogue buildings with domes