Synagogue Maribor

The restored synagogue in Maribor is one of the oldest preserved synagogues in Europe and the most important monument of Jewish cultural heritage in Slovenia. Today, the 700-year-old building is a cultural institution where you can visit exhibitions, concerts, literary evenings, and lectures. The synagogue is located in the square Židovski trg.

Maribor Jews in the Middle Ages

The synagogue was first mentioned in 1354, although it most likely stood in the early 14th century. During this period, a rabbi's house, a Talmudic school, the first Jewish cemetery stood in its vicinity, and a ritual bath (mikveh) along the Drava River, but these buildings have not been preserved. A rabbi Israel/Isserlein ben Petachia named Marburg was born in Maribor in 1390 and is considered to be the most influential rabbi of the Holy Roman Empire in the 15th century.

In 1497, on the orders of the ruler Maximilian I of Habsburg, the Jews had to leave Styria and thus Maribor, which until then had been the most important center of Judaism in the area of ​​present-day Slovenia. After emigrating, some Jews from Maribor took the surname Morpurgo in memory of Maribor. Today, more than 2300 people with this surname surname can be found on Morpurgos’ family tree, which is indirect evidence of the former Jewish significance of Maribor.

Changed purpose of use

In 1501, the synagogue was converted into the Catholic Church of All Saints, and after 1785 it was remodeled and used as a warehouse. Five hundred years after the building on Židovski trg lost its original purpose, the synagogue was restored but is not used as a religious building. Since 2011, the public institution Center of Jewish Cultural Heritage Synagogue Maribor (short: Synagogue Maribor) has been operating in it, the main purpose of which is to study, preserve, and nurture this heritage in Maribor and Slovenia. In 2015, the former synagogue was declared a Cultural monument of national importance.

Intercultural and interfaith dialogue

The public institution Synagogue Maribor organizes cultural and scientific events to revive the former synagogue as a space for intercultural and interfaith dialogue.

ENTRANCE PRICE: 2€