New Israelite Temple on Poolstrasse

The historic gallery hall – Exterior wall

A geo-radar examination revealed that the southern outer wall of the historic gallery hall has been largely preserved. In parts, the relief structures of the original seven ornamental columns and beam holes of the gallery can be recognised (Stübs, 2024, p. 14). In front of the southern outer wall of the former Israelite Temple are the workshop to the east and the offices of the former car repair shop to the west (ibid., p. 16). “Since the original plaster, including the decorative column, has been preserved on the upper floor of the former] workshop and only shows signs of weathering in the upper part, the workshop was probably built immediately after the end of the war and has been largely preserved behind the wall or panelling in front of it” (translation by the editors) (ibid.).Illustration: © Marten Stübs, Office for Geoinformation, Surveying and Cadastre, City of Essen

The apse building – Subsequent use

Due to the destruction during the Second World War, the apse building was only preserved up to the height of the historic lunette window or the height at which the ‘upper aisles’ were positioned (Knufinke and Przystawik, 2020, p. 35).Due to the war, the rooms in the apse building were used commercially from 1951 onwards. The rooms on the first floor were inhabited until the 1980s (Rürup, 2020, p. 55). In order to utilise the rooms appropriately, repairs were probably carried out during this time and cables and additional pipes were installed. Entrances were bricked up and windows were installed on all floors, which would have led into the historic gallery hall (Maier and Weßling, 2024, p. 16; Stübs, 2024, p. 6). In 1982, the apse building was declared uninhabitable and has stood empty and derelict ever since (Rürup, 2020, p. 55). Today, the ground floor of the apse building is partially filled in with rubble from the collapsed storeys above (Stübs, 2024, p. 31). The plaster has “crumbled away from the brickwork almost everywhere, but the spatial effect of the apse with the slightly raised area in front of the Torah shrine can still be imagined today.” (translation by the editors) (Knufinke and Przystawik, 2020, p. 35)As part of the conservation measures carried out, the heavily soiled surface of the apse building was cleaned with a goat hair brush – but with little visual cleaning effect. In addition, the vegetation cover on the broken brick edges and in the joints was removed (Maier and Weßling, 2024, p. 25).Illustration: © steg Hamburg

The apse building – Basement

A basement is exclusively under the apse building, most of which has been preserved. An exception is the southern area (Stübs, 2024, p. 30): “The wooden staircase there is completely collapsed and the ceiling of the room below the neighbouring rabbi's room is also collapsed and completely filled with rubble.” (translation by the editors) (ibid.) It is not possible to enter the basement under the apse building. Through a geo-radar examination, however, the basement rooms were clearly visible through a small opening in the southern rabbi's room (ibid., p. 13): Starting from a narrow central corridor with a vaulted ceiling, an extra-wide door leads into a room under the historic podium. The mikvah and the foundation stone are thought to be located there (ibid., p. 30). The geo-radar examination also revealed the cover of a cellar light north of the northern wall of the apse building (ibid., p. 9).Illustration: © Marten Stübs, Office for Geoinformation, Surveying and Cadastre, City of Essen

The apse building – Thora shrine

The historic Torah shrine was enclosed by a rectangular frame and a crown with a merlon wreath. Within the frame, the actual Torah shrine was surrounded by a multi-levelled round niche. In front of it, extending over almost the entire eastern section of the gallery hall, was an approx. six metres-deep podium. Located on the podium was the octagonal pulpit, which was accessed via the staircase to the Torah shrine (Knufinke and Przystawik, 2020, pp. 30f.).Today, only individual fragments of pillar capitals made of plaster are preserved in the niche of the Torah shrine. In the past, the historic niche for the Torah shrine was sealed with expanded concrete blocks and mortar (Maier and Weßling, 2024, pp. 11, 13).Illustration: © Christiane Maier and Danah Weßling

The portal house – Entrance façade

The historic temple façade refers to its use as a synagogue through a pediment crown with the ten commandments, a central round window with a star of David and a Hebrew inscription above the portal. The inscription is recited in a contemporary publication from 1845: ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’ (translation by the editors) (Psalm 118:26). The entrance façade was framed by two pointed towers (Knufinke and Przystawik, 2020, p. 29).Today, only around 40 percent of the ground floor and part of the first floor – an intermediate level to the gallery – of the once towering entrance façade of the portal house remain. The parts above were presumably removed in full. Of the ornaments of the central entrance portal, the lateral columns and the archway as well as parts of the historic structure have been preserved (ibid., p. 35; Stübs, 2024, pp. 7, 13). The pediment crown with the Hebrew inscription has not been preserved (Stübs, 2024, p. 7).Illustration: © Illustrierte Zeitung IV., Volume No. 82, 1845, page 56

The New Israelite Temple on Poolstrasse – Architectural history

Under the Jewish regulations of 1710, Jews were only permitted to practise their religion on private premises until well into the 19th century. In the 19th century, however, several synagogues were built in Hamburg's Neustadt district. They were mostly hidden in backyards and therefore not visible in the picture of the street. This was because of the fear of hostility on the part of Jews (Althoff, 2020, p. 5; Knufinke and Przystawik, 2020, p. 29).As one of the synagogues in Hamburg's Neustadt district, the New Israelite Temple was built in 1844 on a backyard plot on Poolstrasse as a “freestanding building with an impression on the urban design. A passageway and a walkway enclosed by garden walls provided a view of the backyard and the historic temple façade’ (translation by the editors) (Knufinke and Przystawik, 2020, p. 29). The inauguration of this temple was an important milestone in the architectural history of reform synagogues, as the temple on Poolstrasse was the first independent new building of a reform synagogue in Germany (ibid., p. 25). The temple on Poolstrasse was a basilica with three aisles, with influences from classicism and church architecture. In particular, the modified interior design characterised the temple on Poolstrasse as a ‘place of cultural reform’ (translation by the editors) (Brämer, 2020, p. 12): The spatial layout with 380 seats for men and 260 for women was reminiscent of the parallel seating arrangement in churches and the temple was – contrary to Orthodox practice – accessed through a shared entrance by men and women. Though, women continued to sit in the gallery (ibid., pp. 12f.; Althoff, 2020, p. 7).“The temple in Hamburg reinforced ...] that the question of the style, in which the Jewish minority would build their houses of prayer and thus represent themselves in the picture of the city and in society, would have a decisive influence on every further project.” (translation by the editors) (Knufinke and Przystawik, 2020, p. 26)Illustration: © Illustrirte Zeitung IV. Band Nr. 82, 1845, Seite 56

The portal house – Memorial plaque in memory of the temple

In memory of the New Israelite Temple on Poolstrasse, a memorial plaque was placed on the west façade of the portal house, next to the entrance portal of the temple. The inscription on the plaque was written by the Institute for the History of German Jews: ‘REMNANTS OF THE FORMER TEMPLE. The synagogue, of which these remains still exist, was built in 1842-44 by the architect Klees-Wülbern for the Israelite Temple Association. After the construction of a new place of worship on Oberstrasse in 1931, the building was sold and destroyed during the Second World War.’ (translation by the editors) (Schwarzkopf, 2020, p. 57)

The portal house – Subsequent use

Historically, beyond the entrance façade of the portal house, the New Israelite Temple had an “area with adjoining rooms, such as stairs and a cloakroom” (translation by the editors) (Knufinke and Przystawik, 2020, p. 29).Following the desecration of the temple in 1931, the premises were initially used as a storage facility (Rürup, 2020, p. 45). In 1948, after the bombing in the Second World War and the extensive destruction of the New Israelite Temple, the printing house ‘Wiegemann’ established themselves in the remaining portal house. After the war, a car repair shop was also located in the backyard on Poolstrasse until 2022 (ibid., p. 55). Today, the first floor of the portal house is used as an art studio (Stübs, 2027, p.7). On the south of the passageway on the ground floor of the portal house, the toilets of the former car repair shop are still located. Through a geo-radar examination, a small replenishment was recognised at this point under the staircase, which could indicate the location of the historic mikvah (ibid., p. 32). The test bed for brakes of the former car repair shop can also be identified in the portal passageway (ibid., p. 9).As in the apse building, windows were subsequently installed in the portal house, which previously would have led into the historic gallery hall (ibid., p. 7).Illustration: © steg Hamburg

The historic gallery hall – Basilica

The historic synagogue room of the temple on Poolstrasse had almost the shape of a square. The higher ‘centre aisle’ was divided by segmental arch arcades with octagonal pillars from the two lower ‘side aisles’ in the south and north. In the west, the women's gallery, which ran around three sides, was characterised by a narrower position of the columns. The synagogue room was lit by large lunette windows in the ‘upper aisles’ and a further window above the historic Torah shrine, which was – due to its orientation to the east – interpreted as a mizrach window (Knufinke and Przystawik, 2020, pp. 29f.). On the gallery opposite the Torah shrine, above the entrance in the west, the organ was located (ibid., p. 31).The gallery hall was almost completely destroyed by bombings of the City of Hamburg during the Second World War, starting in July 1943 (Rürup, 2020, p. 50). According to documentations from 1944 onwards, “the damage by the bombs had literally torn the building apart ...]: The portal house and apse building remained standing, while only some of the side walls of the centre section were partially preserved until these were also demolished after the war.” (translation by the editors) (ibid.) The intense heat and the vibrations caused by the bombings were probably the initial cause of today’s ruinous state of the former temple (Maier and Weßling, 2024, p. 16).Illustration: © Illustrirte Zeitung IV., Volume No. 82, 1845, page 56.

The historic gallery hall – Floor

A geo-radar examination revealed that the area in the centre of the historic gallery hall “lies slightly below the former floor level, so that an original floor can no longer be expected under the asphalt” (Stübs, 2024, p. 16). Contrary to this, it is possible that there is original substance under an extensive replenishment in the eastern part of the former gallery hall – that originates mainly from the rubble of the parts of the temple destroyed in the Second World War – and under the floor in the former offices of the car repair shop in the south-west that is 10 to 15 centimetres higher (ibid., p. 31).

The historic gallery hall – Plinth base

Through a geo-radar examination, a staircase-like structure and a possible plinth base were revealed in front of or under the historic podium construction. The staircase probably dates from the time of subsequent uses, as no staircase can be found on historical photographs in front of the podium construction (Stübs, 2024, p. 9).Illustration: © Marten Stübs, Office for Geoinformation, Surveying and Cadastre, City of Essen

The apse building – Restorative examination

Since the destruction of the gallery hall during the Second World War, the west wall of the apse building – as well as the east wall of the portal house – is no longer located in the protected interior but is instead exposed to the outside climate and the weather. In particular, the west-facing wall of the apse building – except for the calotte area – was directly exposed to rainfall over decades (Maier and Weßling, 2024, pp. 14, 16). In addition, “it can be assumed that rainwater has also penetrated the building fabric from above in the past” (translation by the editors) (ibid., p. 14).In 2009, conservation materials were applied to the plaster and stucco as part of an emergency restoration for the first time. The aim was a conservation of the building fabric of the apse building (Schwarzkopf, 2020, p. 60; Maier and Weßling, 2024, pp. 11, 13). In addition, the apse building was secured with an emergency roof in 2020 (Rürup, 2020, p. 60).A restorative examination, carried out between June and September 2023, found that “the condition of the preserved plaster and stucco substance in the apse of the ruins of the New Israelite Temple ...] is bleak. The preserved plaster has become structurally unstable, has cavities and cracks and is in acute danger of falling.”(translation by the editors) (Maier and Weßling, 2024, p. 23) As part of the restorative examination, the apse, the semi-circular niche of the former temple, and the calotte, the half-domed cap of the apse, including the multi-levelled wall and the spandrel panels, were examined (ibid., p. 11). With the aim of counteracting the rapidly progressing loss of substance in the apse, conservation measures were carried out. These measures contributed to securing the highly endangered plaster and stucco (ibid., p. 24). In August 2023, the scaffolding used for the restorative examination was covered to protect the apse from the weather.Illustration: © steg Hamburg

The apse building – Calotte

The calotte in the historic temple was decorated with small, regularly placed stucco applications. During the construction of the temple, these were applied to the smoothed surface of the plasterwork with a special mortar. Only in one place, mortar with imprints has survived (Maier and Weßling, 2024, p. 12f.). There is still evidence of a metal hook in the ridge of the calotte, which presumably dates from the time the temple was built and served as a fastening for a chandelier (ibid., p. 37).Through a restorative examination, the stability of the calotte was found to be jeopardised. Against this background, it was necessary to secure the calotte before conservation measures could begin (ibid., pp. 23, 25). “To ensure stability, an area was defined in which the gap had to be repaired to balance the concentration of pressure. For this purpose, the gaps were kept under tension in sections with wedges, cleared out and renewed.” (translation by the editors) (ibid. p. 25)Illustration: © Christiane Maier and Danah Weßling

The apse building – Ornamental frieze

The New Israelite Temple was characterised by a continuous ornamental frieze above the niche of the Torah shrine, framed by horizontal profiles. The frieze was made up of individual prefabricated ornamental panels cast in plaster. In order to adhere the individual ornamental panels in the apse during the construction of the temple, the not yet fully hardened material was carved and applied to the plaster base using a special mortar” (translation by the editors) (Maier and Weßling, 2024, p. 12).“Only one almost complete element and a much smaller fragment of the decorative stucco have survived. Both are severely damaged by structural softening and cracks. The plaster used for the production is not suitable for outdoor use and should not be permanently soaked.” (translation by the editors) (ibid., p. 23)Illustration: © Christiane Maier and Danah Weßling

Geo-radar examination

In May 2024, a geo-radar examination was carried out for the extended area of the historic gallery hall. The aim was an examination of the entire area for foundations, other archaeological structures and a cellar or mikvah. Laser scans were also recorded to ensure a well-founded categorisation of the geo-radar data (Stübs, 2024, p. 2).

The portal house – Beam holes

On the east wall of the portal house –the inner wall to the historic gallery hall – the beam holes can still be detected: The historic gallery in the New Israelite Temple was supported by the lower beams, and the walkway behind the historic step-like seating was supported by the upper beams (Stübs, 2024, p. 17).

The portal house – Pillars

“I]n the bricks, the unevenness of the outer roof pillars formerly located there” (translation by the editors) (Stübs, 2024, p. 17), which presumably stood parallel to the outer wall, can be detected on the eastern inner wall of the historic gallery hall (ibid.).

The portal house – Historic towers

In addition to specific remnants of the historic ornaments of the central entrance portal, the lower section of the historic towers framing the entrance façade has also been preserved. Today, the part of the southern tower of the historic portal house is located inside the workshop of the former car repair shop.

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the new israelite temple on poolstrasse – architectural history under the jewish regulations of 1710, jews were only permitted to practise their religion on private premises until well into the 19th century. in the 19th century, however, several synagogues were built in hamburg's neustadt district. they were mostly hidden in backyards and therefore not visible in the picture of the street. this was because of the fear of hostility on the part of jews (althoff, 2020, p. 5; knufinke and przystawik, 2020, p. 29).as one of the synagogues in hamburg's neustadt district, the new israelite temple was built in 1844 on a backyard plot on poolstrasse as a “freestanding building with an impression on the urban design. a passageway and a walkway enclosed by garden walls provided a view of the backyard and the historic temple façade’ (translation by the editors) (knufinke and przystawik, 2020, p. 29). the inauguration of this temple was an important milestone in the architectural history of reform synagogues, as the temple on poolstrasse was the first independent new building of a reform synagogue in germany (ibid., p. 25). the temple on poolstrasse was a basilica with three aisles, with influences from classicism and church architecture. in particular, the modified interior design characterised the temple on poolstrasse as a ‘place of cultural reform’ (translation by the editors) (brämer, 2020, p. 12): the spatial layout with 380 seats for men and 260 for women was reminiscent of the parallel seating arrangement in churches and the temple was – contrary to orthodox practice – accessed through a shared entrance by men and women. though, women continued to sit in the gallery (ibid., pp. 12f.; althoff, 2020, p. 7).“the temple in hamburg reinforced ...] that the question of the style, in which the jewish minority would build their houses of prayer and thus represent themselves in the picture of the city and in society, would have a decisive influence on every further project.” (translation by the editors) (knufinke and przystawik, 2020, p. 26)illustration: © illustrirte zeitung iv. band nr. 82, 1845, seite 56 The New Israelite Temple on Poolstrasse – Architectural history the portal house – entrance façade the historic temple façade refers to its use as a synagogue through a pediment crown with the ten commandments, a central round window with a star of david and a hebrew inscription above the portal. the inscription is recited in a contemporary publication from 1845: ‘blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord’ (translation by the editors) (psalm 118:26). the entrance façade was framed by two pointed towers (knufinke and przystawik, 2020, p. 29).today, only around 40 percent of the ground floor and part of the first floor – an intermediate level to the gallery – of the once towering entrance façade of the portal house remain. the parts above were presumably removed in full. of the ornaments of the central entrance portal, the lateral columns and the archway as well as parts of the historic structure have been preserved (ibid., p. 35; stübs, 2024, pp. 7, 13). the pediment crown with the hebrew inscription has not been preserved (stübs, 2024, p. 7).illustration: © illustrierte zeitung iv., volume no. 82, 1845, page 56 The portal house – Entrance façade the portal house – memorial plaque in memory of the temple in memory of the new israelite temple on poolstrasse, a memorial plaque was placed on the west façade of the portal house, next to the entrance portal of the temple. the inscription on the plaque was written by the institute for the history of german jews: ‘remnants of the former temple. the synagogue, of which these remains still exist, was built in 1842-44 by the architect klees-wülbern for the israelite temple association. after the construction of a new place of worship on oberstrasse in 1931, the building was sold and destroyed during the second world war.’ (translation by the editors) (schwarzkopf, 2020, p. 57) The portal house – Memorial plaque in memory of the temple the portal house – historic towers in addition to specific remnants of the historic ornaments of the central entrance portal, the lower section of the historic towers framing the entrance façade has also been preserved. today, the part of the southern tower of the historic portal house is located inside the workshop of the former car repair shop. The portal house – Historic towers the portal house – subsequent use historically, beyond the entrance façade of the portal house, the new israelite temple had an “area with adjoining rooms, such as stairs and a cloakroom” (translation by the editors) (knufinke and przystawik, 2020, p. 29).following the desecration of the temple in 1931, the premises were initially used as a storage facility (rürup, 2020, p. 45). in 1948, after the bombing in the second world war and the extensive destruction of the new israelite temple, the printing house ‘wiegemann’ established themselves in the remaining portal house. after the war, a car repair shop was also located in the backyard on poolstrasse until 2022 (ibid., p. 55). today, the first floor of the portal house is used as an art studio (stübs, 2027, p.7). on the south of the passageway on the ground floor of the portal house, the toilets of the former car repair shop are still located. through a geo-radar examination, a small replenishment was recognised at this point under the staircase, which could indicate the location of the historic mikvah (ibid., p. 32). the test bed for brakes of the former car repair shop can also be identified in the portal passageway (ibid., p. 9).as in the apse building, windows were subsequently installed in the portal house, which previously would have led into the historic gallery hall (ibid., p. 7).illustration: © steg hamburg The portal house – Subsequent use the historic gallery hall – basilica the historic synagogue room of the temple on poolstrasse had almost the shape of a square. the higher ‘centre aisle’ was divided by segmental arch arcades with octagonal pillars from the two lower ‘side aisles’ in the south and north. in the west, the women's gallery, which ran around three sides, was characterised by a narrower position of the columns. the synagogue room was lit by large lunette windows in the ‘upper aisles’ and a further window above the historic torah shrine, which was – due to its orientation to the east – interpreted as a mizrach window (knufinke and przystawik, 2020, pp. 29f.). on the gallery opposite the torah shrine, above the entrance in the west, the organ was located (ibid., p. 31).the gallery hall was almost completely destroyed by bombings of the city of hamburg during the second world war, starting in july 1943 (rürup, 2020, p. 50). according to documentations from 1944 onwards, “the damage by the bombs had literally torn the building apart ...]: the portal house and apse building remained standing, while only some of the side walls of the centre section were partially preserved until these were also demolished after the war.” (translation by the editors) (ibid.) the intense heat and the vibrations caused by the bombings were probably the initial cause of today’s ruinous state of the former temple (maier and weßling, 2024, p. 16).illustration: © illustrirte zeitung iv., volume no. 82, 1845, page 56. The historic gallery hall – Basilica the historic gallery hall – floor a geo-radar examination revealed that the area in the centre of the historic gallery hall “lies slightly below the former floor level, so that an original floor can no longer be expected under the asphalt” (stübs, 2024, p. 16). contrary to this, it is possible that there is original substance under an extensive replenishment in the eastern part of the former gallery hall – that originates mainly from the rubble of the parts of the temple destroyed in the second world war – and under the floor in the former offices of the car repair shop in the south-west that is 10 to 15 centimetres higher (ibid., p. 31). The historic gallery hall – Floor the historic gallery hall – plinth base through a geo-radar examination, a staircase-like structure and a possible plinth base were revealed in front of or under the historic podium construction. the staircase probably dates from the time of subsequent uses, as no staircase can be found on historical photographs in front of the podium construction (stübs, 2024, p. 9).illustration: © marten stübs, office for geoinformation, surveying and cadastre, city of essen The historic gallery hall – Plinth base the historic gallery hall – exterior wall a geo-radar examination revealed that the southern outer wall of the historic gallery hall has been largely preserved. in parts, the relief structures of the original seven ornamental columns and beam holes of the gallery can be recognised (stübs, 2024, p. 14). in front of the southern outer wall of the former israelite temple are the workshop to the east and the offices of the former car repair shop to the west (ibid., p. 16). “since the original plaster, including the decorative column, has been preserved on the upper floor of the former] workshop and only shows signs of weathering in the upper part, the workshop was probably built immediately after the end of the war and has been largely preserved behind the wall or panelling in front of it” (translation by the editors) (ibid.).illustration: © marten stübs, office for geoinformation, surveying and cadastre, city of essen The historic gallery hall – Exterior wall the apse building – subsequent use due to the destruction during the second world war, the apse building was only preserved up to the height of the historic lunette window or the height at which the ‘upper aisles’ were positioned (knufinke and przystawik, 2020, p. 35).due to the war, the rooms in the apse building were used commercially from 1951 onwards. the rooms on the first floor were inhabited until the 1980s (rürup, 2020, p. 55). in order to utilise the rooms appropriately, repairs were probably carried out during this time and cables and additional pipes were installed. entrances were bricked up and windows were installed on all floors, which would have led into the historic gallery hall (maier and weßling, 2024, p. 16; stübs, 2024, p. 6). in 1982, the apse building was declared uninhabitable and has stood empty and derelict ever since (rürup, 2020, p. 55). today, the ground floor of the apse building is partially filled in with rubble from the collapsed storeys above (stübs, 2024, p. 31). the plaster has “crumbled away from the brickwork almost everywhere, but the spatial effect of the apse with the slightly raised area in front of the torah shrine can still be imagined today.” (translation by the editors) (knufinke and przystawik, 2020, p. 35)as part of the conservation measures carried out, the heavily soiled surface of the apse building was cleaned with a goat hair brush – but with little visual cleaning effect. in addition, the vegetation cover on the broken brick edges and in the joints was removed (maier and weßling, 2024, p. 25).illustration: © steg hamburg The apse building – Subsequent use the apse building – basement a basement is exclusively under the apse building, most of which has been preserved. an exception is the southern area (stübs, 2024, p. 30): “the wooden staircase there is completely collapsed and the ceiling of the room below the neighbouring rabbi's room is also collapsed and completely filled with rubble.” (translation by the editors) (ibid.) it is not possible to enter the basement under the apse building. through a geo-radar examination, however, the basement rooms were clearly visible through a small opening in the southern rabbi's room (ibid., p. 13): starting from a narrow central corridor with a vaulted ceiling, an extra-wide door leads into a room under the historic podium. the mikvah and the foundation stone are thought to be located there (ibid., p. 30). the geo-radar examination also revealed the cover of a cellar light north of the northern wall of the apse building (ibid., p. 9).illustration: © marten stübs, office for geoinformation, surveying and cadastre, city of essen The apse building – Basement the apse building – restorative examination since the destruction of the gallery hall during the second world war, the west wall of the apse building – as well as the east wall of the portal house – is no longer located in the protected interior but is instead exposed to the outside climate and the weather. in particular, the west-facing wall of the apse building – except for the calotte area – was directly exposed to rainfall over decades (maier and weßling, 2024, pp. 14, 16). in addition, “it can be assumed that rainwater has also penetrated the building fabric from above in the past” (translation by the editors) (ibid., p. 14).in 2009, conservation materials were applied to the plaster and stucco as part of an emergency restoration for the first time. the aim was a conservation of the building fabric of the apse building (schwarzkopf, 2020, p. 60; maier and weßling, 2024, pp. 11, 13). in addition, the apse building was secured with an emergency roof in 2020 (rürup, 2020, p. 60).a restorative examination, carried out between june and september 2023, found that “the condition of the preserved plaster and stucco substance in the apse of the ruins of the new israelite temple ...] is bleak. the preserved plaster has become structurally unstable, has cavities and cracks and is in acute danger of falling.”(translation by the editors) (maier and weßling, 2024, p. 23) as part of the restorative examination, the apse, the semi-circular niche of the former temple, and the calotte, the half-domed cap of the apse, including the multi-levelled wall and the spandrel panels, were examined (ibid., p. 11). with the aim of counteracting the rapidly progressing loss of substance in the apse, conservation measures were carried out. these measures contributed to securing the highly endangered plaster and stucco (ibid., p. 24). in august 2023, the scaffolding used for the restorative examination was covered to protect the apse from the weather.illustration: © steg hamburg The apse building – Restorative examination the apse building – calotte the calotte in the historic temple was decorated with small, regularly placed stucco applications. during the construction of the temple, these were applied to the smoothed surface of the plasterwork with a special mortar. only in one place, mortar with imprints has survived (maier and weßling, 2024, p. 12f.). there is still evidence of a metal hook in the ridge of the calotte, which presumably dates from the time the temple was built and served as a fastening for a chandelier (ibid., p. 37).through a restorative examination, the stability of the calotte was found to be jeopardised. against this background, it was necessary to secure the calotte before conservation measures could begin (ibid., pp. 23, 25). “to ensure stability, an area was defined in which the gap had to be repaired to balance the concentration of pressure. for this purpose, the gaps were kept under tension in sections with wedges, cleared out and renewed.” (translation by the editors) (ibid. p. 25)illustration: © christiane maier and danah weßling The apse building – Calotte the apse building – ornamental frieze the new israelite temple was characterised by a continuous ornamental frieze above the niche of the torah shrine, framed by horizontal profiles. the frieze was made up of individual prefabricated ornamental panels cast in plaster. in order to adhere the individual ornamental panels in the apse during the construction of the temple, the not yet fully hardened material was carved and applied to the plaster base using a special mortar” (translation by the editors) (maier and weßling, 2024, p. 12).“only one almost complete element and a much smaller fragment of the decorative stucco have survived. both are severely damaged by structural softening and cracks. the plaster used for the production is not suitable for outdoor use and should not be permanently soaked.” (translation by the editors) (ibid., p. 23)illustration: © christiane maier and danah weßling The apse building – Ornamental frieze the apse building – thora shrine the historic torah shrine was enclosed by a rectangular frame and a crown with a merlon wreath. within the frame, the actual torah shrine was surrounded by a multi-levelled round niche. in front of it, extending over almost the entire eastern section of the gallery hall, was an approx. six metres-deep podium. located on the podium was the octagonal pulpit, which was accessed via the staircase to the torah shrine (knufinke and przystawik, 2020, pp. 30f.).today, only individual fragments of pillar capitals made of plaster are preserved in the niche of the torah shrine. in the past, the historic niche for the torah shrine was sealed with expanded concrete blocks and mortar (maier and weßling, 2024, pp. 11, 13).illustration: © christiane maier and danah weßling The apse building – Thora shrine geo-radar examination in may 2024, a geo-radar examination was carried out for the extended area of the historic gallery hall. the aim was an examination of the entire area for foundations, other archaeological structures and a cellar or mikvah. laser scans were also recorded to ensure a well-founded categorisation of the geo-radar data (stübs, 2024, p. 2). Geo-radar examination the portal house – beam holes on the east wall of the portal house –the inner wall to the historic gallery hall – the beam holes can still be detected: the historic gallery in the new israelite temple was supported by the lower beams, and the walkway behind the historic step-like seating was supported by the upper beams (stübs, 2024, p. 17). The portal house – Beam holes the portal house – pillars “i]n the bricks, the unevenness of the outer roof pillars formerly located there” (translation by the editors) (stübs, 2024, p. 17), which presumably stood parallel to the outer wall, can be detected on the eastern inner wall of the historic gallery hall (ibid.). The portal house – Pillars
3D model
Photorealistic floor plan
3D dollhouse model
Introduction
On Poolstrasse in Hamburg's Neustadt district, where the majority of Hamburg's Jews still lived in 1871 (Althoff, 2020, p. 1), once stood the world's first liberal Jewish synagogue by a liberal Jewish community - the New Israelite Temple.
 
Today, only the ruins of the temple can be found on site, but its former glory is still recognisable. The ruins of the New Israelite Temple are of enormous significance as it is the only existing architectural relic of over 300 years of liberal Jewish history in Hamburg. Beyond the city itself, the site is recognised as the first temple of liberal Jews.

The New Israelite Temple was built on a backyard plot between 1842 and 1844 according to the plans of architect Johann Hinrich Klees-Wülbern (1800-1845) and was used by the liberal Jewish community for a period of 80 years. Since 1931, services no longer took place in the temple on Poolstrasse, as most of the community members had moved. At the same time, a new temple had been built on Oberstrasse. In 1937 the temple was sold. During bombings in the Second World War, the temple was largely destroyed (Knufinke and Przystawik, 2020, p. 29).

In 2000, the ruins with the structural remains of the temple have been classified as a historic monument and have thus been recognised as cultural heritage. In addition to the portal house and the apse building, the historic wall in the southern area of the temple ruins has been designated as an architectural monument.
In December 2020, the City of Hamburg acquired the property in the ‘inner courtyard of Poolstrasse 11 – 14’ with the aim of restoring as well as renovating the ruins of the New Israelite Temple located on the site and possibly putting them to public use.

Illustration: © steg Hamburg
Bibliography
  • Althoff, Hendrik (2020): Das jüdische Zentrum Hamburgs. Jüdisches Leben in der Hamburger Alt- und Neustadt vom 16. bis ins frühe 20. Jahrhundert.

  • Brämer, Andreas (2020): Der Hamburger Israelitische Tempel. Eine historische Skizze, in: Brämer, Andreas et al., Der Israelitische Tempel in Hamburg, 7 Archiv aus Stein. Der Jüdische Friedhof Altona, S. 5-18.

  • Knufinke, Ulrich und Przystawik, Mirko (2020): Der Hamburger Israelitische Tempel und seine Architektur, in: Brämer, Andreas et al., Der Israelitische Tempel in Hamburg, 7 Archiv aus Stein. Der Jüdische Friedhof Altona, S. 25-42.

  • Maier, Christiane und Weßling, Danah (2024): Restauratorische Untersuchung, Konservierung und Restaurierung der Apsis. Ruine des Neuen Israelitischen Tempels. Poolstraße 11-14, 20355 Hamburg.

  • Rürup, Miriam (2020): Tempelgebäude ohne Tempelverband. Die Geschichte des ehemaligen Tempels in der Poolstraße nach der Profanierung 1931, in: Brämer, Andreas et al., Der Israelitische Tempel in Hamburg, 7 Archiv aus Stein. Der Jüdische Friedhof Altona, S. 43-56.

  • Schwarzkopf, Christoph (2020): Denkmalpflege an der Synagoge Poolstraße, in: Brämer, Andreas et al., Der Israelitische Tempel in Hamburg, 7 Archiv aus Stein. Der Jüdische Friedhof Altona, S. 57-61.

  • Stübs, Marten (Amt für Geoinformation, Vermessung und Kataster) (2024): Georadaruntersuchung zur archäologischen Erkundung der Tempelruine in der Poolstraße/Hamburg, Stadt Essen.
Poolstraße 11-14, 20355 Hamburg