New Synagogue in Gliwice

The New Synagogue stood in Gliwice at Dolnych Wałów 15 and has not existed since 1938. Today the site is an undeveloped square, and the memory of the building is kept by two plaques.

How it came about and what it looked like

The synagogue was built in 1859-1861 to a design by Salomon Lubowski, and the builder was the firm of Louis Troplowitz. It stood by the defensive wall, within the boundaries of the medieval town.

The building was erected on a rectangular plan in a Neo-Moorish and Neo-Romanesque style. The façade was flanked by two towers topped with domes, and the interior had women’s galleries on decorated columns and an aron ha-kodesh on the east wall. It is regarded as one of the first synagogues with a two-tower façade. In 1911 the interior was renovated and rebuilt.

Destruction in November 1938

In the night of 9 to 10 November 1938 the synagogue was set on fire by Nazi paramilitaries. The walls threatened to collapse onto neighbouring buildings, so in the morning a unit of the Technische Nothilfe blew them up, and the building was destroyed down to its foundations.

After the war the synagogue was not rebuilt, although such plans existed. The remains of the basement and the tower were demolished in early 2007. The site of the synagogue lies within the old town, not far from the Piast Castle.

Practical information

• Address: Dolnych Wałów 15, Gliwice; the main entrance of the former synagogue faced today’s Plac Inwalidów.
• There is no building on the site, only two commemorative plaques.
• Nearby, about 500 m away, stands the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.