The New Synagogue in Kaliningrad is located on the banks of the Pregolya River, opposite the Dome Cathedral. The Jewish community of Konigsberg built a New Liberal Synagogue on this site in 1896, but during Kristallnacht 1938 all the synagogues of Konigsberg were burned and destroyed. In 2011, its restoration began, and in 2018 the synagogue welcomed parishioners again.
The historical center of Konigsberg was destroyed during the WWII. Single buildings in the city center have been preserved to this day. The restoration of the New Synagogue allows at least partially recreating the historical appearance of the city, which we see in pre-war photographs. This is very important for the development of tourism in Kaliningrad.
With the spread of Protestantism, the countries of northern Europe once again allowed Jews to live in their cities. In 1671, Konigsberg received a large number of Jews from Vienna, and soon the first synagogue was built in the city. By the end of the 19th century, the Jewish community of Konigsberg was so numerous that there were 5 synagogues in the city. The last synagogue on the banks of the Pregolya was opened in 1896. It was called the New Liberal Synagogue.
After Hitler`s National Socialist Party came to power in 1933, the oppression of Jews began. On November 10, 1938, the Nazis organized Jewish pogroms throughout the country, which they called Kristallnacht. The new Liberal Synagogue was burned down, its dome collapsed, but the building survived even after the bombing of 1945. In Soviet times, after the war, a circus was opened there, but then the synagogue building was demolished.
In 2011, the Jewish community of Kaliningrad appealed to the city authorities with a request for permission to build a new Synagogue on the historical site. The architectural appearance is very similar to the synagogue of the 19th century. It is also built in the Neo-Gothic style with a large hexagonal dome. The height of the building reaches 36 meters. Services are held in the New Synagogue. People of other faiths can visit it only with an excursion. There is a small museum exhibit dedicated to the Jewish community in pre-war Konigsberg.
