Synagogue in Bytom

The synagogue in Bytom stood on what was then Friedrich Wilhelm Ring, today Plac Grunwaldzki. It was burned down on Kristallnacht in 1938, and the ruins were demolished. A commemorative plaque stands on the site.

Construction and appearance of the synagogue

The foundation stone for the new synagogue was laid on 25 May 1868, and it was opened on 2 July 1869. The designer was the Berlin architect Freuding, and the builder was Paul Jackisch. The building belonged to the Jewish religious community. In 1889 it was extended to the east, and in 1897-1901 the interior was rebuilt.

The brick building in the Moorish style stood on a rectangular plan. The facade was crowned by two towers with onion domes, above the entrance was a large stained-glass window, and the elevations were covered with horizontal red and yellow stripes. The main prayer hall was surrounded on three sides by women's galleries.

Kristallnacht in 1938

On the night of 9 to 10 November 1938 the synagogue was burned down by SS and SA units. The ruins were demolished and the site levelled. The rubble was probably dumped in ponds near Bytom.

The commemorative plaque

On 9 November 2007, on the 69th anniversary of Kristallnacht, a plaque designed by the artist Stanisław Pietrusa was unveiled on the site of the synagogue. It was funded by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the municipality of Bytom. The inscription, in four languages (Polish, English, German and Hebrew), says that a synagogue built in 1869 stood in this place and that it was destroyed by the German Nazis on Kristallnacht in 1938.

Practical information

• Place: Plac Grunwaldzki in Bytom. Nothing of the synagogue survives; there is only the plaque on the site.
• You can find more about the former Jewish community on the Wirtualny Sztetl (Virtual Shtetl) website.