Renovated Rumbach Sebestyén Street Synagogue opened

June 10, 2021 at 4:00 PM

The renovated Rumbach Sebestyén Street Synagogue was opened as a renewed sacred, communal and cultural space. The synagogue, built in 1872 according to the plans of Otto Wagner, stood empty for decades, and its reconstruction was completed last year.

As part of the inauguration of the renovated Rumbach Sebestyén Street Synagogue, the Torah was carried through nearby streets in a celebratory parade – from the Emánuel Memorial tree next to the Dohány Street Synagogue, towards Károly Boulevard and Madách Square – on the afternoon of June 10.

The Rumbach Sebestyén Street Synagogue is located in the 7th District. The facade of the building reflects the historicist style with oriental, Moorish features (Photo: Balázs Both/pestbuda.hu)

The building, which opened in 1872 was designed by Otto Wagner, stood empty for decades in a dilapidated state and has been renovated in every detail. The interior of the synagogue was organised around the centre to accommodate different liturgical needs. The room has a diameter of 24.8 metres and a height of 28.15 metres. As per tradition, the Torah reading stand, the bema, was placed in the centre of the space surrounded by the gallery.

Opposite the main entrance, the photo taken from the first floor shows the huge wrought-iron lamp and the gilded columns (Photo: Balázs Both/pestbuda.hu)

The original ark was dismantled in 1990, but some pieces survived, which were used as a model in the current re-creation (Photo: Balázs Both/pestbuda.hu)

The bema can be raised and lowered with a unique hydraulic system, so the sacred space can be made suitable for cultural events, even large concerts, at the touch of a button. The building also houses a café, a salon and a conference room, and rooms that can also be used for museum pedagogical classes.

Opposite the main entrance. The bema in the centre can be sunk into the floor for special occasions (Photo: Balázs Both/pestbuda.hu)

Ornate column head, plant motifs on gilded columns and the ceiling. In the interior of the synagogue, the elements and ornaments, where possible, were reconstructed with the original colours, based on the surviving pieces (Photo: Balázs Both/pestbuda.hu)

View of the roof structure, the central synagogue is covered by a huge dome. The painted glass windows of the dome were designed by Kornél Baliga (Photo: Balázs Both/pestbuda.hu)

On the third floor, a permanent exhibition presents the life and possibilities of Hungarian Jews through the history of a Hungarian Jewish family. The audiovisual experience based on digital devices, combining cinematic and animated elements, is also suitable for reaching young people. As part of the exhibition, two “time capsules” compare the everyday phenomena of the 1740s and 2020s, such as typical foods, distance travelled in a day.

The ICOMOS award-winning reconstruction of the monument of international significance was carried out with government support of 3.2 billion HUF.

Cover photo: The renovated Rumbach Street Synagogue has been renovated (Photo: Balázs Both/pestbuda.hu)

Architecture, Budapest, grand opening, News, Otto Wagner, PestBuda, pestbuda.hu, Rumbach Sebestyén street synagogue, synagogue

³ ⁰ ⁰

Drama on the university wall - The heroic monument was planned 95 years ago

March 30, 2023 at 9:00 AM

In the constant hustle and bustle of the Egyetem Square in Pest, the students may not even notice the monument that decorates the short section of wall between the church and the central building of ELTE. However, it commemorates their predecessors, the heroes who fought for their country in World War I, and those who heroically helped them. The first design of the dramatically collapsing soldier was born in 1928, ninety-five years ago.

A message from the former school: An exhibition in memory of János Neumann was opened at the Fasori Secondary School

March 29, 2023 at 9:00 AM

An exhibition was opened in János Neumann's former school, the Fasori Lutheran Secondary School, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the world-famous mathematician's birth. In the exhibition presenting the former Neumann milieu, paintings, graphics, photos, furniture, and objects tell the story of the art-supporting spirit of the noble bourgeois family at the turn of the century.

The renovated Angyalföld Reformed Church was handed over

March 27, 2023 at 4:00 PM

On 26 March, the renovated Frangepán Street Reformed Church was handed over. The 13th District church was built in 1933, the tower was restored in 2017, and the roof and facade were renovated last year. By the time of the ceremonial handover, the building had completely recovered its form ninety years ago.

More interesting articles

The Bridge Report, which brought a turning point in the history of Budapest

March 31, 2023 at 3:00 PM

A travel report that changed the history of Pest and Buda, as well as Hungary. The little book contributed to the change of half a thousand years of legal customs and the implementation of an investment of unprecedented size and technical quality. This book was The Bridge Report [Hídjelentés in Hungarian].

If the efforts of 1848 had not failed, Szabadság Square would be somewhere else today

March 28, 2023 at 12:30 PM

Do you know where Diadal Street or Szabad Sajtó Street was in 1848? Not where many would think. During the revolution of 1848, the street names of Pest and Buda also changed.

The story of a famous clothing factory in Józsefváros

March 27, 2023 at 11:00 AM

Close to Nagyvárad Square, at the junction of Elnök Street and Orczy Road, there is a complex of buildings with a huge floor area. There is an office building, a jewellery store, a tailor shop, a communications technology company, a photography and video recording company, and even a table tennis club. In the 1960s and 1970s, one of the largest clothing manufacturers in the country operated behind the walls, but the story did not begin then but at the end of the 19th century.

Renovated Rumbach Sebestyén Street Synagogue opened

Related articles

More interesting articles

Hozzászólások

More articles