One of our featured synagogues, the medieval synagogue in Korneuburg on the Danube north of Vienna, has been the subject of discussion in the local media as talks continue on the preservation of this important building.
Austrian news outlet NON has covered the story, and you can read the article below - you will need to click the option to translate the page to English.
In February 2020, the municipality was close to purchasing the synagogue from its private owner Herbert Mandl who uses the site as a garage. The private foundation of the Korneuburg Savings Bank was in line to cover the restoration costs. However, when COVID-19 set in, the foundation was asked by the financial market regulators not to touch its financial reserves.
Mayor Christian Gepp has said there are currently no discussions with the owner on the purchase while the municipality looks for a new partner to help cover the restoration. The owner told Non he was still interested in selling the building to the municipality.
There are very few medieval synagogues that survived in Europe which makes the synagogue immediately a remarkable and important building. It is believed to have been built in the 14th century making it one of the oldest standing synagogue buildings in Europe. It has not functioned as a synagogue since the expulsion of the Jewish community from the town in 1421. A modern community existed in Korneuberg until 1939 but it did not have access to the building.
The synagogue was listed as a historic landmark in the 1980s. The building is in poor condition and its current use is considered inappropriate for such an important site.
There are several local activists who have been promoting the cause of the building, lobbying the municipality to purchase it. Once the site is bought, the plan is that it will be conserved and turned into a cultural centre and educational facility explaining the history and fate of both the medieval and modern Jewish communities.
The Foundation continues to support this process, and has offered its assistance in preparing any future preservation/adaptation plans.
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