Opened 1858 Architect Ludwig Förster | Destruction date 9 November 1938 | |
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Address Tempelgasse 5A 1020, 1020 Wien-Leopoldstadt, Austria Architectural style Moorish Revival architecture Similar Leopoldstadt, Türkischer Tempel, Stadttempel, Polnische Schul, Schiffschul | ||
The Leopoldstädter Tempel was the largest synagogue of Vienna, in the district (Bezirk) of Leopoldstadt. It was also known as the Israelitische Bethaus in der Wiener Vorstadt Leopoldstadt. It was built in 1858 in a Moorish Revival style by the architect Ludwig Förster. The tripartite facade of the Leopoldstädter, with its tall central section flanked by lower wings on each side, became the model for numerous Moorish Revival synagogues, including the Zagreb Synagogue, the Spanish Synagogue in Prague, the Tempel Synagogue in Kraków, the Grand Synagogue of Edirne and Templul Coral in Bucharest.
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This temple was destroyed during the Kristallnacht on November 10, 1938. A memorial plaque on the site reads in German (and Hebrew):
"Hier befand sich der Leopoldstädter Tempel, der im Jahre 1858 nach Plänen von Architekt Leopold Förster im maurischen Stil errichtet und am 10. November 1938 in der sogenannten "Reichskristallnacht" von den nationalsozialistischen Barbaren bis auf die Grundmauern zerstört wurde."
(Here stood the Leopoldstädter Temple, built in 1858 in the Moorish style according to the plans of architect Leopold Förster, all but the foundation of which was completely destroyed by National Socialist barbarians on the so-called "Night of Broken Glass" on 10 November 1938).Synagogues influenced by the Leopoldstädter Tempel
The Tempel, which housed a prestigious congregation in the capital of the Empire, inspired the construction of several other synagogues in the Moorish Revival style. Some are designed similarly to Forster's building, with a flat facade and roof, tripartite massing with a large central block, symmetrical decorative minarets, and internal basilica plan with balconies.