Large albumen photograph of Berlin's "new" synagogue (Berlin Neue Synagoge), c. 1890.
The synagogue was built from 1859 to 1866 to serve as the central Berlin synagogue. The building, which was designed by architect Edward Knoblauch on Oranienburger Street (near the Jewish Hospital), is built in the Mori style reminiscent of the Alhambra Palace. the synagogue was inaugurated in 1866 in the presence of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. And it is considered one of the most luxurious buildings in Berlin in the late 19th century. On Kristallnacht (the night of November 9 and 10, 1938) a mass of Nazis set fire to the synagogue. Otto Bellgardt, a police officer who was on duty on the morning of November 10, arrived and ordered the Nazi mob to disperse. He declared the synagogue a protected historical site and pulled out his gun, declaring that he was observing the law that required protection of the place. In the meantime, the fire department arrived and extinguished the fire, thus saving the shul. During the RAF bombings on November 23, 1943, the structure was severely damaged.
Size: 28x22 cm. Cardboard substrate: 36x30 cm. Wrinkles and stains in the cardboard substrate. Slight crack in the top right photo. Good condition.
