Cologne - Synagogue

Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany - and one of the oldest. A Germanic tribe, the Ubii, had a settlement here, this was named by the Romans "Oppidum Ubiorum". In 50 AD, the Romans founded "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium", the city then became the provincial capital of "Germania Inferior".

The history of the Jews in Cologne is documented from the year 321. Over its history, the Jewish community has suffered persecutions, many expulsions, massacres and destruction. Because of its continuity, today's Jewish synagogue calls itself the "oldest Jewish congregation north of the Alps".

In 1933, before the terror of the Nazis started, 15000 Jews lived in Cologne. There were seven synagogues, that all got severely damaged or destroyed on November 9, 1938 during the nationwide attacks on Jewish-owned property ("Kristallnacht").

The synagogue, located at the Rathenauplatz, was subsequently rebuilt during the 1950s and now is the center of the Jewish community, that today has about 4500 members.