Kleine Synagoge

Kleine Synagoge stands in Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia, as a former synagogue and architectural landmark. The Jewish community inaugurated the building in 1840, after resettling in the city at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Inside, restored spaces reveal a mikveh, a Torah ark and a women’s gallery. These details show how worship shaped the building’s original interior.

As Erfurt’s Jewish community grew during the nineteenth century, the synagogue became too small for its congregation. A larger synagogue opened at Kartäuserring, now Juri-Gagarin-Ring, in 1884, and the former place of worship later became a distillery and a residence. It survived the Nazi era undamaged and remained a home until 1993. Monument protection followed in 1992, before restoration created a Jewish-German cultural centre.

Today, the rooms provide a multicultural meeting place focused on German-Jewish understanding. A permanent exhibition traces Jewish life in Erfurt across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including the community’s growth and the challenges it faced. The mikveh, Torah ark and women’s gallery leave the clearest impression of the building’s earlier life.