• Synagogenplatz Memorial, Tübingen
The Synagogenplatz Memorial in Tübingen commemorates the synagogue which was destroyed during the »Kristallnacht« in November 1938 and honours the fate of the Jews from Tübingen. Many of them felt compelled to emigrate due to the increasing persecution by the National Socialists. The Jewish residents of Tübingen which remained were deported by the SS to the Riga ghetto and to Theresienstadt.
Image: Tübingen, 1888, The synagogue a few years after its construction, Stadtarchiv Tübingen, Wilhelm Paret
Tübingen, 1888, The synagogue a few years after its construction, Stadtarchiv Tübingen, Wilhelm Paret

Image: Tübingen, 2004, View of the Synagogenplatz Memorial, Stadtarchiv Tübingen, Udo Rauch
Tübingen, 2004, View of the Synagogenplatz Memorial, Stadtarchiv Tübingen, Udo Rauch
Tübingen, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, was home to a Jewish community already in the Middle Ages. A new Jewish community was founded here in 1882. That same year, the district rabbi inaugurated the newly erected synagogue. At that time, there were about 100 Jews living in Tübingen. In 1910, the Jewish community had 139 members. From 1930 on, the Jews of Tübingen increasingly fell victim to assaults by students belonging to the SA and other local supporters of the National Socialists. More and more frequently Jewish shops were vandalised. Already in 1928, one of the large synagogue windows was smashed during an attack. Due to these developments, there were only 90 Jews remaining in the city in 1933. Several Jewish families had either moved away from Tübingen or emigrated. Many further families followed this example after 1933. Around 1938, there were only about 20 Jews left in Tübingen. Members of the NSDAP looted the synagogue and set fire to it in the course of the pogrom of November 1938. A few years later, there were no more Jews left in Tübingen; by 1943, the SS had deported all of the remaining Jews.
Image: Tübingen, 1888, The synagogue a few years after its construction, Stadtarchiv Tübingen, Wilhelm Paret
Tübingen, 1888, The synagogue a few years after its construction, Stadtarchiv Tübingen, Wilhelm Paret

Image: Tübingen, 2004, View of the Synagogenplatz Memorial, Stadtarchiv Tübingen, Udo Rauch
Tübingen, 2004, View of the Synagogenplatz Memorial, Stadtarchiv Tübingen, Udo Rauch
Around 18 Jews from Tübingen died under National Socialist persecution. The SS had them deported, amongst others, to the Riga ghetto and to Theresienstadt in 1941/42.
Image: Tübingen, 1938, The burning synagogue in the early morning hours of November 10, amateur photo taken by a neighbour, Stadtarchiv Tübingen
Tübingen, 1938, The burning synagogue in the early morning hours of November 10, amateur photo taken by a neighbour, Stadtarchiv Tübingen

Image: Tübingen, 2004, Synagogenplatz Memorial, Stadtarchiv Tübingen, Udo Rauch
Tübingen, 2004, Synagogenplatz Memorial, Stadtarchiv Tübingen, Udo Rauch
In 1998, fundaments of the old synagogue were uncovered on the former Synagogenplatz (English: Synagogue Square) during construction work. This spurred a discussion about the possibility of erecting a monument in memory of the synagogue and the Jews of Tübingen. The project could be accomplished on the initiative of the Tübingen History Workshop Association and with the support of local citizens. The memorial on Synagogenplatz was dedicated in 2000. A steel cube with 101 square openings symbolises the destroyed synagogue. The names of murdered Tübingen Jews are inscribed on three plaques installed along a water trough. Text panels, containing information on the history of Synagogenplatz and Jewish life in Tübingen, complete the memorial.
Image: Tübingen, 2004, View of the Synagogenplatz Memorial, Stadtarchiv Tübingen, Udo Rauch
Tübingen, 2004, View of the Synagogenplatz Memorial, Stadtarchiv Tübingen, Udo Rauch

Image: Tübingen, 2004, Trough with one of the three plaques with names, Stadtarchiv Tübingen, Udo Rauch
Tübingen, 2004, Trough with one of the three plaques with names, Stadtarchiv Tübingen, Udo Rauch
Name
Denkmal Synagogenplatz Tübingen
Address
Gartenstrasse 33
72072 Tübingen
Phone
+49 (0)7071 237 70
Web
http://www.geschichtswerkstatt-tuebingen.de
E-Mail
webmaster@geschichtswerkstatt-tuebingen.de
Open
The memorial is accessible at all times.
Possibilities
Guided city tours and lectures on the history of the Jews of Tübingen, meetings with eyewitnesses and experts, information about National Socialism and on regional Jewish history, slide shows, film and video lectures