The Great Synagogue is full of symbolism. A guided tour is the best way to understand it, as much may go over your head!
Budapest’s Great Synagogue is the largest synagogue in Europe, capable of seating 3,000 people, and is the heart of Hungary’s once much more populous Jewish community. It is also the centre of Neolog Judaism, a conservative part of the Jewish faith.
It was built in five years from 1854 in the Moorish Revival style, but also features Byzantine, Romantic and Gothic elements, reflecting the great range of the Jewish diaspora. Inside, there is a beautiful rose window standing over the main entrance and an extraordinary organ which dates back to 1902. It is also contains the Hungarian Jewish Museum which includes 3rd century Jewish headstones from Roman Pannonia, along side a wealth of ritualistic silver.
Battered, but not broken
The Great Synagogue has been in the wars: it was bombed by pro-Nazi Hungarians in 1939, used as a radio base and stable by the Germans during World War II, suffered huge damage during the Siege of Budapest, and only started to be used again as a place of worship during the Communist era by the then greatly diminished Jewish community. Its restoration was only completed in 1998.
Never forget
The Great Synagogue was part of the Jewish Ghetto during World War II. On the synagogue’s north side there is a Holocaust memorial which looks over the mass graves of those murdered by the Nazis. Over 2,000 of the Jews confined to the Ghetto died of starvation and cold during the winter or 1944-45 and are buried here — which was atypical, as cemeteries are not usually found near synagogues. There is also a metal ‘tree of life’, designed by Imre Varga in 1991, on whose leaves you will find the names of some of the many thousands of victims. It is a beautiful tribute.
Delve into Hungary's Jewish history in Budapest's Seventh District. On your private walking tour, you will:
Though small in size, the 7th District currently has Budapest’s highest population density, leading the streets a buzzing ambience, day or night. Plenty of historical remains, a cemetery, a memorial garden and a museum provide a poignant narrative on the Holocaust and the former Budapest Ghetto.
As Central Europe’s largest Jewish community, Budapest is home to around 90,000 Jews, of which ten thousand are believed to be Holocaust survivors. Since the fall of communism, the city has seen a revival of Jewish religious life in the city. Shops and businesses reopened and around 20 synagogues are now found throughout the city, representing a variety of movements including Orthodox, Chabad Lubavitch, Neolog and Liberal. Budapest also boasts many Jewish schools, cultural centres, monuments, historical sites, kosher restaurants, ritual baths, kosher butcheries, bakeries, and even a matza factory. Several museums are dedicated to Jewish interest.
On this fascinating tour of Budapest’s Jewish Quarter, you will discover the Jewish Heritage of the 7th District with a knowledgeable local guide. Hear centuries-old tales of Jewish history and gain first-hand insight into Jewish culture past and present. Discover Dohany Synagogue, the largest in Europe - with a capacity for over 3,000 people, visit a memorial to heroic Jewish soldiers who fought in WWI. Your tour of Budapest’s Jewish Culture will take you to the “Weeping Willow” memorial, inscribed with the names of over 400,000 Jews killed in the Holocaust. You will also see a bronze statue of Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat credited with saving tens of thousands of Jewish lives in Budapest.
Learn about the lives of the Jewish community under Soviet rule, when Budapest became the only Soviet satellite country where an operational Rabbinical Seminary continued to exist. Learn about the beautiful Rumbach Synagogue, the Orthodox community within the Jewish Quarter and the story of Carl Lutz Memorial.
Please note the following as well, relating to your visit to the Dohany Synagogue:
Your tickets are for a specific time slot at 10 AM. Tickets cannot be exchanged nor refunded for a different time slot.
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