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Hamburg's Bornplatz Synagogue, probably in 1910: The synagogue in Hamburg's Grindel district was the largest Jewish house of worship in northern Germany when it was inaugurated in 1906. During the November pogroms of 1938, the Nazis set fire to the building. A year later, they forced the Jewish community to demolish the synagogue at their own expense.
More than 80 years after the destruction, the Jewish Community of Hamburg received the property back at the end of September – and wants to rebuild the synagogue. In doing so, it is supported by the parliament, the Senate and the German Bundestag.
Photo: Paul Popper / Popperfoto / Getty Images
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View of Joseph-Carlebach-Platz in the Grindelviertel. Since September, the archaeologists had been digging in several places, right next to the Jewish school: three square shafts, each 15 square meters in size, spanned with white tents.
Photo: Franziska Spiecker / dpa
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Hands-on history lessons: During their excavations, the archaeologists came across fragments of painted glass panes. Now the search for the remains of the Bornplatz Synagogue has ended. "As if cut off with a razor blade, the entire basement with the foundation of the synagogue is still completely and fairly well preserved in the ground," said Hamburg's state archaeologist and director of the Archaeological Museum, Rainer-Maria Weiss, the dpa.
Photo: Franziska Spiecker / dpa
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A banner with a drawing of the Bornplatz Synagogue leans against a wall during a vigil on Joseph-Carlebach-Platz. For a long time, the colors of the synagogue and the appearance of the huge windows of the houseof worship had been unclear, as there were only black-and-white photos or recolored images. "The exterior was a red brick building with a very fine colour structure," says Weiss.
Photo: Christian Charisius / picture alliance / dpa
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Archaeologists have also recovered painted tiles, ornaments, smashed window glass or – as in the picture – the shard of a child's plate. The synagogue is located not far from the University of Hamburg.
Photo: Markus Scholz / dpa
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The exposed headboard of an ornamental column of the synagogue protrudes from the rubble of the building. Preparations are currently underway between the city and the Jewish community in Hamburg so that the architectural competition process can begin soon, a spokesman for the Senate said. "A specific date for this has not yet been determined. However, the preparations are well advanced."
Photo: Markus Scholz / dpa
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The remains of the foundation of the Bornplatz Synagogue, which are still in the ground, are to be taken into account in the designs of the competition for the new building. Margrit Kahl's floor mosaic laid on Joseph-Carlebach-Platz will be temporarily removed in the area of the excavations, stored and completely restored at the end of the preliminary investigation. Since 1988 it has been a reminder of the synagogue.
Photo: Markus Matzel / IMAGO
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View of a mikvah uncovered for the investigations, a ritual immersion bath. "You have to descend seven flights of stairs into this immersion bath, and we found them perfectly preserved," says Hamburg's state archaeologist and director of the Archaeological Museum, Rainer-Maria Weiss. "The pool had snow-white, high-gloss tiles." Individual outstanding objects would now be recovered and the sections would then be filled in again.
Photo: Markus Scholz / dpa
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A construction fence with pictures of the hostages taken by Hamas surrounds the excavation gap of the former Bornplatz synagogue. The excavation is protected by heavily armed security forces, as is the school next door.
Photo: Markus Scholz / dpa
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Stefanie Szczupak sits on the board of trustees of the Bornplatz Synagogue and was also responsible for the community's Jewish school for a long time. She explicitly sees the planned reconstruction as a "sign against anti-Semitism," as she told SPIEGEL. We want Jewish life to return to this place."
Photo: Paula Markert / DER SPIEGEL
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A bottleneck found during the excavations lies on an index card with the exact description of the finds. The investigation was carried out on behalf of the Senate Chancellery. "The aim is to gain knowledge about the remains of the foundation of the former synagogue and its condition," explained Hamburg's mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) at the start of the work. "These are to be incorporated into the further urban planning and architectural process that will create a new central place for Jewish life and culture in Hamburg."
Photo: Markus Scholz / dpa
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