Dohány Street Synagogue (Great Synagogue), Budapest
Facade of the largest synagogue in Europe. Photo by Alistair Howard.
Broader view of Dohany Street Synagogue. Photo by Fox Magrathea.
Interior of the synagogue. Photo by Andy Carvin.
The Eternal Flame with Star of David. Photo by Yaffa Grinblatt.
Moorish-style gallery and ceiling. Photo by Yaffa Grinblatt.
Detail of the great dome. Photo by Bruno Furnari.
Weeping Willow Memorial Tree near the synagogue. Photo by
Built in 1859, the Dohány Street Synagogue (Hungarian: Dohány utcai Zsinagóga), also known as the Great Synagogue, in Budapest is Europe's largest synagogue and the second largest in the world (after Temple Emanu-el in New York City).
Measuring 75 m long and 27 m wide, Dohány Synagogue can seat up to 3,000 people. It is still in active use by Budapest's Jewish community.
History
Dohány Synagogue was built in the Romantic style between 1854 and 1859 after the plans of Ludwig Förster. At the time, the Jewish community of this area of Pest numbered abut 30,000.
Dohány Synagogue has a rich but tragic history. In March 1944, Adolf Eichmann arrived in Budapest with the occupying Nazi forces to supervise the establishment of the Jewish ghetto and the subsequent deportations.
Up to 20,000 Jews took refuge inside the synagogue complex, but 7,000 did not survive the bleak winter of 1944-45. These victims are buried in the courtyard, where you can also see a piece of the original brick ghetto wall.
For a time, Eichman had an office behind the rose window in the women's balcony, and the Germans used it as a radio tower.
During the Communist period, many windows were broken and the Jews boarded up the synagogue.
An ambitious restoration was recently completed, funded in large part by famous Americans Tony Curtis and Estée Lauder, who are of Hungarian-Jewish descent. The building's original splendor is now fully apparent.
What to See
The synagogue is designed like a basilica and includes striking Byzantine and Moorish elements. The interior is vast and ornate, with two balconies and, unusually, an organ. Its ark contains 25 torah scrolls taken from other synagogues destroyed during the Holocaust.
Next to the main building is the Jewish Heroes' Mausoleum and Temple in memory of the thousands of Jews who died during the Second World War. The Memorial Garden contains monuments to Jews who died in the Holocaust and to non-Jews who protected their Jewish neighbors. The National Jewish Museum is also in the synagogue complex.
Quick Facts
| Names: | Dohány Street Synagogue; Great Synagogue; Dohány utcai Zsinagóga |
| Type of site: | Synagogue |
| Date: | 1859 |
| Architecture: | Romantic, Byzantine and Moorish |
| Size: | 75 m long x 27 m wide; capacity: 3,000 |
| Address: | VII. Dohány u. 2-8, Pest, Budapest, Hungary |
| Phone: | 1/342-8949 |
| Metro: | Astoria (Red line) or Deák tér (all lines) |
| Hours: | Officially open Tues-Thurs 10am-5pm; Fri 10am-2pm; Sun 10am-2pm. Services are held Fri 6pm and Sat 9am |
| Cost: | 600 Ft ($2.70) |
Location Map
Below is a location map and aerial view of the Great Synagogue in Budapest. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Budapest Map or get our free Google Earth download.
Sources
- Frommer's Budapest & the Best of Hungary, 5th ed.
- Budapest Tourism Office
- Budapest - The Virtual Jewish Library
- Oh, to be in Budapest! - The Jewish Exponent
