New Synagogue (Berlin) | listed building / architectural heritage

 synagogue, listed building / architectural heritage

The New Synagogue (German: "Neue Synagoge") was built 1859-1866 as the main synagogue of the Berlin Jewish community. The original building was designed by Eduard Knoblauch.
During Kristallnacht (9 November, 1938) the Neue Synagoge was set ablaze. The fire was extinguished, however, and the synagogue, protected as a registered architectural monument, escaped complete destruction. During World War II it was heavily damaged by Allied bombing during air raids in 1943 . The ruins of the building were finally demolished in 1958 . It was not until the collapse of the Berlin Wall that reconstruction began. From 1988 to 1993, the remains of the façade were restored as the "Centrum Judaicum" (lit. "Jewish Center"), without being constructed anew. In May 1995, the synagogue was partly revived, though it failed to regain its 19th century glory. After the renovations, only the front of the building with the destroyed dome remained.