The Synagogue

Built from 1839 to 1842 on the site of an old farm, the synagogue of Colmar is the seat of the Israelite Consistory and the Grand Rabbinate of the Haut-Rhin.

The presence of the Jewish community in the city is testified since the 18th century. The Jewish community, expelled in the 16th century, came back in Colmar during the Revolution and had at that time an equipped oratory to worship in the former seat of the Ploughmen’s guild. The community filed a record of building in 1814, while the rabbi was transferred from Wintzenheim to Colmar in 1823. The reconstruction of the building started in 1839 in the antique-style of the early 19th century.

The synagogue of Colmar was renovated in 1885 and an annexe was added in 1936. Used as a saleroom and then as an arsenal during the German occupation, the synagogue was again restored after the war. It is the only synagogue in the region which has a bell tower.