The Great Synagogue

The Great Synagogue of Dohány Street, also known as the Dohány Synagogue, or Tabac-Schul, is located in Belváros, the inner city of Pest, in the eastern part of Budapest. The Great Synagogue was built between 1854-1859 by the Neolog Jewish community of Pest according to plans by the Austrian architect, Ludwig Foerster. Budapest's main street synagogue represents the optimism and newly elevated status of Hungarian Jews in the mid-19th century.

The Great Synagogue is a magnificent synagogue with a capacity of 2964 people (1492 seats for men and 1472 seats in the gallery for women), making it one of the largest synagogues in the world. The building is more than 53 meters long and about 26.5 meters wide. The design of the Dohány Street synagogue, essentially in the Moorish style, also features a combination of Byzantine, Romantic and Gothic elements.

The western façade of the synagogue boasts arched windows with carved stone and brick ornaments in typical Budapest colors such as blue, yellow and red. The main west entrance has a stained glass rose window above. The two sides are the gateway with two polygonal towers with long arched windows and surrounded by bronze domes decorated with gold. The towers are 43.6 meters high each, decorated with stone carvings and geometries and clocks measuring 1.34 meters in diameter each. The façade placed on top is the Covenant Desk.

The interior of the synagogue, designed by F.Feszl, features wall surfaces decorated with geometric blocks in yellow and other colors. The Holy Ark is located on the east wall, opposite the Bimah (the pulpit in the synagogue where the Torah and Prophets are read). The choir's gallery is located above the Holy Ark, while the women's galleries, supported by decorative steel columns, are located on the upper floors on both the south and north sides of the synagogue. During the 1933 renovation of the synagogue, a mikveh (a bathtub used for the purpose of soaking in a Jewish ritual to achieve ritual purity) was discovered under the Holy Ark.

5000 organ tubes were built in 1859; Franz Liszt and C. Saint Saens are perhaps the most famous musicians who have performed on this remarkable instrument at the Great Synagogue.

M. Friedman, A. Lazarus, Z. Quartin and M. Abrahamsohn were among the outstanding hazzans (who sang and led people to pray during a Jewish religious ceremony) from the Great Synagogue. recognized worldwide. Theodore Herzl, the father of modern Zionism, held his Bar Mitzvah here.

The synagogue complex contains the Great Synagogue, the Temple of the Heroes, the cemetery, the Memorial, and the Jewish Museum. To learn more about the synagogue complex's rich history and its relationship to the Holocaust, guided tours can be booked in advance.

Address: Dohany u. 2, 1074 Budapest

Opening hours: - Monday - Thursday & Sunday: 10:00 - 17:30

- Friday: 10:00 - 15:30 / Saturday: closed

Admission: 17 Euros