Great Synagogue in Zabrze

The Great Synagogue in Zabrze no longer exists. It stood in the Małe Zabrze district, on what is now Brysza Street, and after its destruction in 1938 it was not rebuilt. A memorial to the Jewish community of Zabrze stands on the site.

The synagogue and its fate

The building was erected in 1871-1872 (1870-1872 according to some sources). It could hold 304 worshippers. In 1898 the synagogue was considerably rebuilt and enlarged. The brick building on a rectangular plan was in the Moorish-Neo-Romanesque style, with three arched entrances and a façade crowned with the tablets of the Decalogue. The prayer hall, surrounded on three sides by women's galleries, had 300 seats.

On the night of 9 to 10 November 1938, during Kristallnacht, Nazi stormtroopers burned the synagogue down.

The memorial on the synagogue site

In 1998 a granite block with a commemorative plaque was unveiled here, funded thanks to the efforts and generosity of Ernest Shmuel Schindler. The inscription, in Polish and Hebrew, states: in memory of the Jewish Community of Zabrze (Hindenburg), annihilated by the German Nazis during the Holocaust; on this spot stood a synagogue built in 1872, burned down on Kristallnacht, 9/10 November 1938.

Practical information

• Place: Zabrze, Małe Zabrze district, Brysza Street.
• The memorial is in a public space; there are no opening hours.
• In Zabrze you can combine a visit with the water tower or the Guido Mine, but these are separate places in other parts of the city.