Hirschaid (County of Bamberg, Upper Franconia)
Museum Old School, © Kunst- und Kulturbühne Hirschaid e.V.
Museum Old School Hirschaid
There is documentary evidence of Jewish settlement in Hirschaid as far back as 1488, but in fact the first Jews probably settled here in the 13th century. As of 1582, the town had its own Jewish community. By 1830, nearly one in five inhabitants of Hirschaid was Jewish. Documents from the first synagogue are dated 1579. The building was classified in 1828 as “in ruins and ramshackle.” A decision was made to build a new synagogue; this was completed in 1851.
In the November 1938 pogrom, arsonists destroyed this house of worship. Some Jewish citizens managed to emigrate. In 1942 the remaining Jewish residents were deported and murdered. In 1940, the town of Hirschaid signed over the properties and houses of the Jewish community into its own hands. None of the Jews returned to Hirschaid after 1945. Today, there are several reminders of the expelled and murdered Jewish citizen of Hirschaid: the memorial square with the reconstructed synagogue foundations and the Museum Alte Schule with its eyewitness reports and pictures.
Museum Old School
Kirchplatz 4
D-96114 Hirschaid
Tel. +49 (0)9543 440987
info@kulturbuehne-hirschaid.de
www.kulturbuehne-hirschaid.de
Opening hours:
Sat + Sun: 1pm – 5pm
and by arrangement
Tour booking:
Annette Schäfer, M.A.
Tel. +49 (0)9543 440987