Archaeologists have rediscovered the remains of the first synagogue of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. More than 800 years ago, it formed the center of one of the oldest Jewish quarters in southern Germany, but was demolished 200 years ago. Only an excavation in the run -up to construction measures has now found the foundations of this building on the chapel square in Rotheburg.
Around 1180, one of the oldest Jewish quarters in southern Germany was built in Rothenburg. In the Middle Ages, the city was considered the center of Jewish scholarship with national radiance. In addition to residential and business buildings, the Jewish quarter included a two-story Talmud school, a ballroom, a Mikwe- a Jewish ritual bath- and the central synagogue. It was a Romanesque, rectangular hall building with a gable roof. A wooden women’s department was grown next to the entrance on the north side. At the Talmudschule in Rothenburg, the famous Talmud scholar taught Rabbi Meir Ben Baruch from the middle of the 13th century. Some tombstones to this day also testify to the once large Jewish community in this city. At the end of the 13th and mid -14th century, however, the Jewish population of Rothenburg passed several waves of persecution. These pogroms culminated in 1349 during the plague epidemic when a large part of the Rothenburg Jews was sold.
Sold, reversed and torn down
The synagogue and the other buildings of the Jewish community were then sold to the city of Rothenburg. In 1406/07 it had the Jewish church converted into a Christian chapel. The core building was preserved, but later received an apse in the Gothic style. After the pogrom in northern Rothenburg, a Jewish community was created again, but it used a new, more modest synagogue. The original Synagogue of Rothenburg, converted to the Marienkapelle, was demolished in 1805, making the last visible remnants of this once so important building disappeared. As this first synagogue of Rothenburg looked, today is only known from some historical drawings, there were no more concrete evidence. The knowledge of the exact location was also lost over time.
Only now have archaeologists from the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation (BLFD) rediscovered the remains of the first synagogue of Rothenburg. The ground walls of the building opened in the event of excavations in the run -up to a redesign of the chapel place. “The find at this point was surprising because the synagogue was suspected elsewhere,” says Mathias Pfeil, General Conservator of the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments. Comparisons with two known illustrations from the 18th century showed that the exposed foundations in the construction, alignment and location of the main entrance correspond to those of the synagogue. Information in traditional sources of written sources also match the archaeological finds.
Important testimony of the Jewish heritage
Therefore, according to the archaeologists, there is hardly any doubt: The finds are very likely to be the first synagogue of Rothenburg. “This once again shows the invaluable value of ground monument preservation: only thanks to archaeological studies like this are we succeeding to add another mosaic stone to the history of European Judaism,” says Pfeil. Markus Naser, Mayor of Rothenburg OB der Tauber, adds: “The now exposed, massive limestone foundations of this stately structure impressively demonstrate the importance of Rothenburg in the Middle Ages as one of the great centers of Judaism in southern Germany. The inglorious end of this era is also part of our city history, which we want to further explore and maintain consciousness.”
However, some questions about the time of origin and the early building history of the synagogue still remain open. It is also unclear where exactly the so -called women’s synagogue was, which may have been canceled in the course of the conversion to the Marienkapelle. The current excavations have been limited to the areas that were necessary for the planned construction work. The remaining parts of this soil monument that is so important for Jewish history of southern Germany remain protected underground. However, a new pavement depicts the structure of this ground monument above ground and thus makes it visible on the chapel place.
Source: Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments
