Kazinczy Street Synagogue

Kazinczy Street Synagogue is an Art Nouveau orthodox synagogue built between 1912 and 1913 Budapest VII. district, 29-31 Kazinczy Street number. It is one of the most characteristic works of Hungarian synagogue architecture before the First World War. The gigantic building that dominates the narrow Kazinczy Street was completed between 1912 and 1913, based on the plans of Sándor Löffler and Béla Löffler. The interior is decorated with decorative stonework that supports glass windows painted by Miksa Róth. The Torah reading platform stands in the middle of the space.

At the end of the 19th century, the Jewish community of Pest broke into three branches – Neolog, status quo ante and Orthodox. The Kazinczy Street Synagogue was built for the latter – the most tradition-bound, strict Jewish community. The community building complex includes the synagogue, a house of worship, headquarters, a kindergarten, a Talmud school, a butcher and bath (mikveh). The latter was renovated in 2004, under the guidance of a Hasidic plumber from New York, who worked here from Sundays to Thursdays, then got on a plane and went home to spend the Sabbath with his family. The water of the well that supplies the bath’s was purified with 1000 liters of red wine. The smaller, modern house of worship next to the synagogue was built by the plans of religious community engineer Sándor Bokor.

Image attribution:
Emmanuel Dyan, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons