The excavation of the medieval synagogue in Buda Castle is set to begin – reports the MTI. Specialists will visit the site on Monday to plan the project.

The ruins of the synagogue are buried 4–5 meters below the surface next to the house under 21–23 Táncsics Street. Built around 1461 during the rule of King Matthias on a plot of land owned by Jakab Mendel the later Jewish Prefect, the building caught fire in 1686 during the reconquest of Buda and collapsed.

The Synagogue is buried near the house under 21–23 Táncsics Street (Photo: Google maps)

23–25 Werbőczy Street in 1942 (Photo: FSZEK Budapest Collection)

21 Werbőczy Street (21 Táncsics Street today) in 1942 (Photo: FSZEK Budapest Collection)

Péter Kirschner, President of the Hungarian Jewish Cultural Association, told MTI that László Zolnay found the ruins of the synagogue in 1964. The linguist Sándor Scheiber, university professor and Director of the National Rabbi Training University, identified it as a synagogue.

Funds from the US would have supported excavation; however, the State Religious Office did not want to accept American aid and blocked the work at the time. Therefore, László Zolnay and his colleague, architect Aurél Budai, professionally reburied the ruins, covering them with a concrete slab for preservation.

On Monday, the slab will be cleared and raised, to allow experts to examine the walls and columns. Following the survey, the slab will be put back in place, and the excavation planned.

Beyond long-term preservation, the goal of the project is to allow visitation to the ruins, added the president of the cultural association.

Péter Kirschner also noted that the synagogue lay on a plot of land owned by the 1st District, and in part, underneath a building owned by the 1st District. As a result, the ruins are the legal owner by the District, while the professional survey is being carried out by the Budapest History Museum (BTM). Szabolcs Bánszky, a former colleague of Aurél Budai, who has previously prepared a preliminary study of reconstruction, will join the representatives of the local council and the museum at the survey.

A visual representation of the exterior and interior of the synagogue (Source: szombat.org)

Reconstruction has been a long-time dream for several NGOs who have united in the Dig it up! – Civilians for the excavation of the medieval synagogue initiative which has campaigned for the excavation of the building for years and hoped to draw attention to the ruins through its events.

According to a brochure by the cultural association, the vault of the two-nave synagogue was supported by 5 columns. Its floor area was 25 metres by 11 metres, with an internal height of 3 metres. The hall of worship was among the largest in Europe at the time and was likely designed by master builders from the court of King Matthias. The synagogue was used unaltered until 1526.

When the Jewish community returned to Buda in 1541, they found the vault of the synagogue had collapsed. Instead of rebuilding the original design, a simpler flat wooden ceiling was constructed. During the reconquest of Buda in 1686, the building burned down the roof collapsed and buried everything underneath. Christians moved into the houses of the abandoned Jewish quarter and buried the ruins, along with the dead.

The brochure notes that the floor level of the synagogue is about 5 meters below the current ground level. The remaining walls and columns rise about 4–4.5 metres above the floor. The northern wall was incorporated into the medieval city wall, while its southern wall was in line with the facade of the 18th-century building on top of it.

Source: MTI

Cover photo: Excavation of the mediaeval synagogue to begin