• Memorial to the Leopoldstädter Tempel
Four white original size pillars remember the synagogue Leopoldstädter Tempel which was destroyed during the »Kristallnacht« in 1938 in the Viennese Leopoldstadt disctrict.
Image: Vienna, before 1900, The Leopoldstädter Tempel opened in 1958, public domain
Vienna, before 1900, The Leopoldstädter Tempel opened in 1958, public domain

Image: Vienna, 2006, Four pillars remember the Leopoldstädter Tempel, Gryffindor
Vienna, 2006, Four pillars remember the Leopoldstädter Tempel, Gryffindor
The Leopoldstädter Tempel was built between 1854 and 1858 according to the plans of the architect Ludwig Förster. It was a time of rapid development of Jewish life in Vienna, following the upheavals of the revolution of 1848. In the following decades the number of Jews in Vienna was to multiply, their social influence grew tremendously. Also, the oriental feel of the architecture of the Tempel shaped a new style, the still existing synagogue in Zagreb and the Choral Temple in Bucharest bear a close resemblance to the Viennese original. The interior which could accommodate 2,000 visitors was richly decorated. After a fire in 1917 the synagogue had to be renovated.
After Austria's »Anschluss« (annexation) to the German Reich in March 1938 Vienna fell under the control of the National Socialists, immediately followed by numerous attacks on Jews. During the »Kristallnacht« in 1938 National Socialist destroyed 42 Jewish institutions in Vienna, including the Leopoldstädter Tempel.
Image: Vienna, before 1900, The Leopoldstädter Tempel opened in 1958, public domain
Vienna, before 1900, The Leopoldstädter Tempel opened in 1958, public domain

Image: Vienna, 2006, Four pillars remember the Leopoldstädter Tempel, Gryffindor
Vienna, 2006, Four pillars remember the Leopoldstädter Tempel, Gryffindor
Between 1939 and 1945 more than 48,000 Jews were deported from Vienna. Only 2,470 survived.
Image: Vienna, 1941, Ruin of the Tempel with the north wing in the background, Private property, Photo: Kurt Mezei
Vienna, 1941, Ruin of the Tempel with the north wing in the background, Private property, Photo: Kurt Mezei

Image: Vienna, 2011, Memorial plaque in the Tempelgasse, http://www.flickr.com/photos/russianchild007/
Vienna, 2011, Memorial plaque in the Tempelgasse, http://www.flickr.com/photos/russianchild007/
The building complex of the Leopoldtstädter Tempel originally consisted of three wings. In November 1938 the synagogue's main tract was destroyed. The ruins were still visible for decades until a car park was developed on the site in the 1970s. In the 1990s the site was built on again and a memorial plaque was mounted on the gate to the new building. In 1998 four original sized white pillars were erected where the synagogue's façade once stood, remembering the size of the Tempel. The memorial is a work of the architect Martin Kohlbauer.
The south and north wings remained in place, the south wing being destroyed during the war and razed in the beginning of the 1950s. In the north wing a children's home of the Israelite community existed until 1945, after the war Jewish returnees lived there. Since the beginning of the 1980s it is home to a Talmudic school.
Image: Vienna, 2011, The still existing north wing, http://www.flickr.com/photos/russianchild007/
Vienna, 2011, The still existing north wing, http://www.flickr.com/photos/russianchild007/

Image:
Name
Erinnerung an den Leopoldstädter Tempel
Address
Tempelgasse 3
1020 Wien