New Synagogue (Berlin)

New Synagogue
German: Neue Synagoge
The synagogue, in 2016
Religion
AffiliationConservative Judaism
RiteNusach Ashkenaz
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusSynagogue
LeadershipRabbi Gesa Ederberg
StatusActive
Location
LocationOranienburger Straße 29–31, Berlin
CountryGermany
New Synagogue (Berlin) is located in Berlin
New Synagogue (Berlin)
Location of the synagogue in Berlin
Geographic coordinates52°31′29″N 13°23′40″E / 52.52472°N 13.39444°E / 52.52472; 13.39444
Architecture
TypeSynagogue architecture
StyleMoorish Revival
Groundbreaking1859
Completed1866
Specifications
Capacity3,200 seats
Dome(s)Three
Website
centrumjudaicum.de (in German)

The New Synagogue (German: Neue Synagoge) on Oranienburger Straße in Berlin is a mid-19th century synagogue built as the main place of worship for the city's Jewish community, succeeding the Old Synagogue which the community outgrew. Because of its Moorish style and resemblance to the Alhambra, the New Synagogue is an important architectural monument in Germany.

The building was designed by Eduard Knoblauch. Following Knoblauch's death in 1865, Friedrich August Stüler took responsibility for the majority of its construction as well as for its interior arrangement and design. It was inaugurated in the presence of Count Otto von Bismarck, then Minister President of Prussia, in 1866. One of the few synagogues to survive Kristallnacht, it was badly damaged prior to and during World War II and subsequently much was demolished; the present building on the site is a reconstruction of the ruined street frontage with its entrance, dome and towers, along with only a few rooms behind. It is truncated before the point where the main hall of the synagogue began.