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Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue, Budapest
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Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue, Budapest

Great Synagogue, Budapest - Budapest
Great Synagogue, Budapest
by antistar
Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue tips and photos posted by real travelers and Budapest locals.

1071 Budapest, Dohány utca 2.
• 116 Photos
• 65 Reviews

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Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue: The Tree of life and the Raul Wallenberg park
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  • MedioLatino
  • By MedioLatino on May 25, 2005
  • Budapest Page by MedioLatino
  • The Tree of Life - Budapest
    The Tree of Life
    by MedioLatino
    Behing the main Synagogue in Dohany street, you can find the park named after the famous Swedish diplomat Raul Wallenberg.

    In the center of the park there is the Tree of Life, modelled after a weeping willow. The tree is a memorial of the 600.000 martyrs who were victims of the holocaust.

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  • Directions: Between Deák F. tér and Astoria along Little Circle Road. Metro stations Deák F. tér (M1,2,3) or Astoria (M2). Tram stop Astoria (#47, 49), bus stop Deák F. tér (#4) or Astoria (#7, 7A, 9, 78).
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    Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue: The Great Synagogue - The biggest in Europe!
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  • MedioLatino
  • By MedioLatino on January 4, 2005
  • Budapest Page by MedioLatino
  • One of the towers of the Great Synagogue - Budapest
    One of the towers of the
    Great Synagogue
    by MedioLatino
    The Great Synagogue of Dohany street was built between 1854-1859 by the Neolog Jewish community of Pest according to the plans of the Viennese architect Frigyes Feszl and Ludwig Förster. In 1996 they finished it's reconstruction, so nowdays it shows it's original splendor.

    It's really a great synagogue, in size as well, since it's capacity is 2,964 seats (1,492 for men and 1,472 in the women’s galleries) making it one of the largest in the world and the biggest in Europe.

    The building has a lenghth of more than 53 meters and it's 26.5 meters wide. The design of the Dohany Street synagogue, while basically in a Moorish style, also features a mixture of Byzantine, Romantic, and Gothic elements.

    The 5,000 tube organ of the synagogue was built in 1859; Franz Liszt and C. Saint-Saens are probably the most famous musicians that played on this remarkable instrument.

    Next to this synagogue there’s the Jewish Museum (with a Holocaust memorial room) and the Hall of Heroes (with the Monument of Hungarian Jewish Martyrs). The two towers of the building are 43 meters high. Inside the Synagogue very special concerts are held.

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  • Phone: +36 1 343 6756
  • Directions: Between Deák F. tér and Astoria along Little Circle Road. Metro stations Deák F. tér (M1,2,3) or Astoria (M2). Tram stop Astoria (#47, 49), bus stop Deák F. tér (#4) or Astoria (#7, 7A, 9, 78).
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    Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue: The Great Synagogue
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  • blint
  • Updated By blint on November 21, 2004
  • Budapest Page by blint
  • The Great Synagogue, Pest - Budapest
    The Great Synagogue, Pest
    by blint,
    1 more photos
    Located in Pest it is the largest synagogue still in use in Europe. It now contains the Jewish Museum which is open from 10am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, 3pm Friday and 2pm Sunday. Remember that it is the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday so it is closed all day.

    The Synagogue is at Vll Dohány utca 2-8 and behind it between Dohány utca,Kertész utca and Kiraály utca is the old Jewish ghetto.

    During WWll, Hungarian Jews were some of the last to be rounded up, however this actually proved more fatal for them as the where sent straight to the gas chambers from the trains. It is a great tragedy that should be remembered, therefore a trip to the Synagogue and the Jewish museum is a truly worth while activity.

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  • Directions: Pest.
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    Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue: See Bulldozers around the Budapest Synagogue
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  • jumpingnorman
  • By jumpingnorman on January 31, 2009
  • Budapest Page by jumpingnorman
  • Bulldozer near Budapest Synagogue (tree of life) - Budapest
    Bulldozer near Budapest
    Synagogue (tree of life)
    by jumpingnorman
    I first read about the Jewish Synagogue in Budapest while I was reading the National Geographic. It was an article on endangered sites around the world. Apparently, a lot of the old Jewish establishments around the Synagogue are being demolished since developers wanted to commercialize the area.

    True enough, when I visited the Synagogue in 2007, there was a huge bulldozer at the back (destroying some apartment), while I was at the famous metal “tree of life” which had the names of some Holocaust victims.

    The Great Synagogue in Dohány Street, also known as the Dohány Synagogue, or the Tabac-Schul, the Yiddish translation of dohány (tobacco), is the second largest synagogue in the world! It was finished in 1859 and can accommodate 3000 people.
    The area of the Synagogue is known as the inner part of the seventh district of Budapest, considered a Jewish ghetto during the Second World War when a wall was built around this area. It was time of oppression and Jews could only leave the ghetto with permission.

    Years later, the Synagogue still stands and used by an active Jewish community in Budapest. And I think its great that they are allowing tourists to enter their place of worship. They have even built a Jewish Museum in Synagogue itself, where I saw some old expensive looking menorahs.

    There are other synagogues in this area of Budapest, and you will also find some kosher restaurants and shops, a rabbi training school. Hopefully, commercialization will not ruin the character of this historical Jewish community.

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  • Directions: Between Deák F. tér and Astoria along Little Circle Road. Metro stations Deák F. tér (M1,2,3) or Astoria (M2). Tram stop Astoria (#47, 49), bus stop Deák F. tér (#4) or Astoria (#7, 7A, 9, 78).
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    Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue: Synagoge
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  • m-joy
  • Updated By m-joy on January 10, 2005
  • Budapest Page by m-joy
  • Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue - Budapest
    by m-joy
    This is the biggest synagogue in Hungary and one of the biggest ones in Europe. The two twin towers are bulb-shaped with a height of 43 meters. The gigantic church, which offers place for more than 3000 people inside, was built in 1859. No guided tours or information every Saturday (as it’s Sabbat).

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  • Directions: Between Deák F. tér and Astoria along Little Circle Road. Metro stations Deák F. tér (M1,2,3) or Astoria (M2). Tram stop Astoria (#47, 49), bus stop Deák F. tér (#4) or Astoria (#7, 7A, 9, 78).
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    Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue: The Synagogue in Dohány Street
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  • csutiluca
  • Updated By csutiluca on October 13, 2004
  • Budapest Page by csutiluca
  • Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue - Budapest
    by csutiluca
    The greatest synagogue in Europe

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  • Directions: Between Deák F. tér and Astoria along Little Circle Road. Metro stations Deák F. tér (M1,2,3) or Astoria (M2). Tram stop Astoria (#47, 49), bus stop Deák F. tér (#4) or Astoria (#7, 7A, 9, 78).
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    Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue: The Great Synagogue
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  • melissa_bel
  • By melissa_bel on August 24, 2004
  • Budapest Page by melissa_bel
  • The Great Sinagogue in Budapest - Budapest
    The Great Sinagogue in
    Budapest
    by melissa_bel
    The Great Synagogue, or NAGY ZSINAGÓGA, is the largest in Europe. Before World War II, Hungary had a large Jewish population and this mid-19th-century building, with its Byzantine towers and Moorish atmosphere, was a tribune to this thriving community. It was in bad shape, but thanks to donations from all over the world, it was about to open when we were there. We didn't go in but looked at the exterior and got a look to the cemetery, where you can clearly see that tombstones that have been desecrated have been put lovingly back again.

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  • Directions: Between Deák F. tér and Astoria along Little Circle Road. Metro stations Deák F. tér (M1,2,3) or Astoria (M2). Tram stop Astoria (#47, 49), bus stop Deák F. tér (#4) or Astoria (#7, 7A, 9, 78).
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    Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue: The Great Synagogue ( 4 photos )
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  • nicolaitan
  • Updated By nicolaitan on December 9, 2006
  • Budapest Page by nicolaitan
  • Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue - Budapest
    by nicolaitan, 3 more photos
    Jews first settled in the Budapest region in the 11th Century and as in many European nations passed through periods of ascendancy alternating with years of persecution and even expulsion. After the anti-Semitic years of Empress Maria Theresa, Jewish prosperity reached a new peak under the friendly rule of Emporer Joseph II. As a reflection of their new-found success, the Reformed (Neolog) Jewish community of Pest undertook to build this massive synagogue, second largest in the world after New York's Temple Emanu-el, with room for 3000 worshippers, to the plans of a Viennese architect Ludwig Foerster. It would be enlarged in 1931. The square in front honors Zionist Theodore Herzl, who had his bar mitzvah here.

    During WWII, the Nazis occupied the building as a radio center and stable. Adolf Eichmann had offices here. It was used as a concentration point for transport of Jews to the extermination camps, and over 2000 Jews died here from exposure and starvation near the end of the war. Damage was heavy, both by Nazis and their allies the Arrow Cross party, and by the attacking allied forces. After the end of Communist rule during which the building fell into serious disrepair, funding for rehabilitation came largely from the US, much from Hungarian American actor Tony Curtis and from Estee Lauder. The three year reconstruction ended in 1996 with the synagogue restored to its earlier glory.

    The ornate west facade is almost Moorish in appearance, with long arched windows and carved stone with gold ornaments and domes on the windows. A large stained glass rose window overlooks the main door. The exterior brickwork echoes the colors of Budapest - yellow and red. The flanking towers are almost 50 feet high with gold ornaments on green onion domes. Arriving from the Astoria metro stop and rounding the corner, the sight of this building is truly breathtaking.

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  • Directions: Between Deák F. tér and Astoria along Little Circle Road. Metro stations Deák F. tér (M1,2,3) or Astoria (M2). Tram stop Astoria (#47, 49), bus stop Deák F. tér (#4) or Astoria (#7, 7A, 9, 78).
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    Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue: Europe's Largest Synagogue
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  • rexvaughan
  • Updated By rexvaughan on February 28, 2007
  • Budapest Page by rexvaughan
  • The Tree of Life - Budapest
    The Tree of Life
    by rexvaughan, 2 more photos
    For centuries Budapest has been an important center for Jewish life, culture and commerce with indications that there were Jewish settlers in Buda in the 12th C and in Pest by the early 15th if not earlier. This city is also the birthplace of two of the leaders of the Zionist movement, Max Nordau and Theodor Hertzl.
    Sadly the story of the Jews in Budapest is a familiar one involving isolation and persecution at best and attempted extinction at worst. Through the middle ages they were expelled several times. Closer to our time, is said that 600,000 Hungarian Jews were killed in the Holocaust. There are about 80,000 Jews in Budapest today with 26 active synagogues in the city
    One of the best places to gain some understanding and appreciation for this heritage is at the Great Synagogue and its Jewish Museum. The Synagogue was build in the mid 19th C which appears to have been a prosperous and peaceful time for the Jews of Budapest. Interestingly enough the synagogue is designed like a church (basilica to be exact) so that when you go in it feels like a church except the symbols are different. It is said they wanted to feel more integrated into the community so this was done purposefully. It is a large edifice, seating 3000 and is second largest in the world after Temple Israel in New York. During WWII it is said that the Nazis used the building for some of their Holocaust activities and that Eichmann had an office here which I find ironic but repulsive. There are mass graves of thousands of vitims in the courtyard and the famous “Tree of Life” which marks the site. Each leaf has inscribed on it the name of one of the victims.

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  • Phone: 01 342 8946
  • Directions: Between Deák F. tér and Astoria along Little Circle Road. Metro stations Deák F. tér (M1,2,3) or Astoria (M2). Tram stop Astoria (#47, 49), bus stop Deák F. tér (#4) or Astoria (#7, 7A, 9, 78).
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    Synagogue - Dohány Street (Central) Synagogue: the holocaust monument
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  • Mique
  • Updated By Mique on December 19, 2003
  • Budapest Page by Mique
  • The name leaves on the holocaust monument - Budapest
    The name leaves on the
    holocaust monument
    by Mique
    Behind the synagoge there is the holocaust monument made by Imre Varga. All the leaves of this tree are made of names of people from Budapest that died in one of the concentration camps. And that terror gets a whole new meaning if you hear someone next to you say.. 'found my dad, and this my mum..'

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