Former Synagogue St. Pölten

Even though the Former Synagogue St. Pölten (60 km west of Vienna) is not a museum in a classical sense, it still fulfils the tasks of preserving Jewish cultural heritage, commemorating the destroyed Jewish community of St. Pölten and communicating history in a way that poses questions to the present.

Built in 1913 by Theodor Schreier and Viktor Postelberg, the building was severely damaged during the November pogroms of 1938. After its destruction during the Nazi era, no Jewish community was formed and the building was restituted to the Jewish Community of Vienna. Left to decay for decades, the building was saved from imminent demolition in the 1980s. Following the recent renovation and barrier-free adaptation, the Former Synagogue has been opened to the public in April 2024 as a cultural venue run by the Lower Austrian “Kulturwirtschafts GesmbH”.

The room with its magnificent wall ornamentation and its structural and sacred features are the starting point of the permanent presentation on the women’s gallery, where objects, photos and documents as well as media stations provide an insight into the life and annihilation of St. Pölten’s Jewish community. However, because all the ritual objects were destroyed or stolen, only the few objects that actually belonged to the community are on display. The intensive contact with the descendants is also part of the presentation. In the upper women’s gallery, an annual temporary exhibition will be dedicated to a theme of Jewish culture. The annual Jewish cultural festival “Jewish Weekends” as well as events corresponding to the history and dignity of the building are organised for a wide audience.
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