It’s not for nothing that this synagogue is called “the big” - it really is the largest synagogue in Europe. It can accommodate 3,000 believers at the same time. It was built in the mid-19th century. The author of the project is Ludwig Förster, who was assisted by two local architects. This synagogue is located on Dohan Street and is also known by this name. It should be noted that the synagogue was bombed in 1939 and restored only in 1998.
The Great Synagogue of Budapest is a two-story red and white brick building with three naves and a façade decorated with colored ceramics. The main building is topped with two 44-meter towers.
There was a dense Jewish settlement around this area, and this led to the construction of a synagogue in the middle of it. During World War II, the Nazis located their headquarters right in the synagogue, and created a ghetto in the Jewish quarter.
In the courtyard of the synagogue there is a Jewish cemetery where victims of Nazism - about 7 thousand people - are buried.
Jews do not tend to build a cemetery next to religious buildings, but in this case they made an exception and did not move the cemetery to another location. On the contrary, a statue was erected in honor of the Jews who were tortured to death (by Imre Varga). On each sheet of metal are written the names of the Hungarian Jews who died during the terrible tragedy.
The interior of the synagogue is reminiscent of the neo-Gothic style of Catholic churches. It's kind of a mixture of eastern and western architecture.
In 1859, Franz Liszt and Camille Saint-Saëns played the organ installed in the church. In 1996, the old organ was replaced with a new one.
Adjacent to the Great Synagogue is the building of the Jewish Museum of Budapest, built in 1929-1931 according to the design of Ferenc Farago on the site of the house where the founder of Zionism Theodor Herzl was born
Entrance to the synagogue: Friday - 10:00-14:00, Sunday-Thursday - 10:00-16:00. These times vary depending on the season. Detailed information can be found at https://jewishtourhungary.com/ .
Admission to the synagogue is paid:
- for adults - 8000 Hungarian forints;
- for students - 6200 Hungarian forints;
- for children 6-12 years old - 2900 Hungarian forints;
- for children under 6 years old - free.
To get to the temple, you need to get off at the Deák Ferenc tér metro station and walk 5-7 minutes.
For details and current information, see the official website of the Great Synagogue - http://www.dohany-zsinagoga.hu/.
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