With only about 4,000 members of the Jewish community left in Bucharest today, it is rather difficult to imagine that in 1930 it represented up to 11% of the entire city’s population. The Jewish quarter was severely affected by the Fascist pogrom in the 40s, followed by the demolitions initiated in the 80s by the communists, with most streets simply wiped off the map and 6 synagogues and Jewish temples demolished. Nevertheless, some emblematic buildings like the Great Polish Synagogue and the legendary Barașeum Theatre have survived and are here to tell their stories.
Take a trip down the history lane and learn about some of the most influential Jewish personalities, like the Dadaist and Modernist architect Marcel Iancu and his landmark buildings, discover the major sights and cultural icons of the former Jewish Quarter in Bucharest and find out about a darker period of Romanian history.
The Great Synagogue in Bucharest, Romania was raised in 1845 by the Polish-Jewish community. It was repaired in 1865, redesigned in 1903 and 1909, repainted in Rococo style in 1936 by Ghershon Horowitz, then it was restored again in 1945, as it had been devastated by the far-right Legionnaires (the Iron Guard movement).
The Choral Temple is a synagogue located in Bucharest, Romania. Designed by Enderle and Freiwald and built between 1864 - 1866, it is a very close copy of Vienna's Leopoldstadt-Tempelgasse Great Synagogue, which had been built in 1855–1858.
The Jewish Museum in Bucharest, Romania is located in the former Templul Unirea Sfântă synagogue, which survived World War II. The name has several variants, including Museum of the History of the Romanian Jewish Community.
You will make your own way to the meeting points