The Maribor Synagogue is one of the most prominent monuments of Jewish culture in Slovenia. Today it is a museum in Maribor with an emphasis on the life of the Jewish community in Slovenia. The Maribor Synagogue is the oldest preserved in Europe, and there are only two in Slovenia, the Maribor Synagogue and the Lendava Synagogue. It is located in Židovska Street, i.e. in Jevrejeska Street, and this is also the medieval Maribro ghetto. In the past, it served as the center of the medieval Jewish community in this city and was one of the most famous and important in the Eastern Alps. The synagogue was built in the 13th century, it is mentioned in 1429, but it is considered that the synagogue was built much earlier.
It included a Jewish cemetery, a rabbi's house, a Talmud school, and a ceremonial swimming pool next to the Drava River. In 1497, the Jews who lived in Maribor were expelled from this city to Europe, and in 1501 the synagogue became a Catholic church with the name Church of All Saints. However, in 1785, the church was turned into a military warehouse and it was like that until 1811, when it was bought by private individuals and used for a wine cellar and a merchant warehouse. It fulfilled that purpose until the 1980s. The old synagogue underwent reconstruction that lasted several years, from 1992 to 2000. The museum was opened in 2001 and contains collections dedicated to the history of Jews in Maribor and Slovenia. Today, the Maribor Synagogue is very visited, and in 2105 it was declared an important cultural monument of national importance. The museum organizes various activities, events and exhibitions, including concerts and literary evenings.
Entrance to the synagogue is FREE
Synagogue opening hours:
From Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 16:00.
Autor of the article:
Bojana Pantić - correspondent for the city of Maribor
