Leopoldstädter Tempel

The Leopoldstädter Tempel, painted by Rudolf von Alt

Inside view of the Leopoldstädter Tempel

The Leopoldstädter Tempel was the largest synagogue of Vienna, in the district (Bezirk) of Leopoldstadt. It was also known as the Israelitische Bethaus in der Wiener Vorstadt Leopoldstadt. It was built in 1858 in a Moorish Revival style by the architect Ludwig Förster. The tripartite facade of the Leopoldstädter with its tall central section flanked by lower wings on each side becam e the model for numerous Moorish Revival synagogues, including the Spanish Synagogue in Prague and the Tempel Synagogue in Krakow.

It was destroyed during the Reichskristallnacht on November 10, 1938. A memorial plaque on the site reads in German (and Hebrew):

"Hier befand sich der Leopoldstädter Tempel, der im Jahre 1858 nach Plänen von Architekt Leopold Förster im maurischen Stil errichtet und am 10. November 1938 in der sogenannten "Reichskristallnacht" von den nationalsozialistischen Barbaren bis auf die Grundmauern zerstört wurde. -Israelische Kultusgemeinde Wien" (Here stood the Leopoldstädter Tempel, built in 1858 in moorish style to the plans of architect Leopold Förster, and destroyed down to the foundations on the so-called "Night of Broken Glass" 10th November 1938 by National Socialist barbarians).