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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Synagogue of Mulhouse, built between 1847 and 1849 according to the plans of municipal architect Jean-Baptiste Schacre, replaces a small synagogue on Rue Sainte-Claire which has become insufficient. The initial project, delayed by controversy over the location and community tensions, was finally carried out on a site in the former hospital, with a municipal grant. The work, interrupted by the bankruptcy of the contractor, underwent modifications (abandonment of the dome, caisson ceiling) before its inauguration on 13 December 1849.

The building, in a neoclassical style with oriental elements, is distinguished by its evocative decoration of Judaism: tables of the Law and menorahs in bas-relief. At the beginning of the 20th century, architect Heinrich Joerg added side doors and a staircase leading to the stands. During World War II, the Nazis damaged but spared it by turning it into an annex to the theatre. Restored after 1945, she suffered a fire in 2010 that destroyed her roof and organ, before a new inauguration in 2012.

The synagogue embodies the history of the Muslim Jewish community, marked by internal divisions in the 19th century (notably between traditionalists and liberals, the latter introducing an organ, rare in synagogues). Its classification in 1984 and its successive restorations underline its heritage and cultural importance in Alsace, a region with an ancient and turbulent Jewish past.

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