Synagogue de Colmar (Colmar Synagogue), Colmar

Nestled in the heart of Colmar’s historic centre, the Synagogue de Colmar is a neo‑Romanesque architectural gem built between 1839 and 1842, and solemnly inaugurated in September 1843. Designed in a classic antique style, it was constructed on the site of a former farm to serve as the seat of the Israelite Consistory and the Grand Rabbinate of the Haut‑Rhin region. Alongside its religious function, it represents one of the most striking monuments in the Alsace region.

The synagogue stands as a powerful reminder of the long and at times turbulent history of the Jewish community in Colmar. While Jewish presence in the town goes back to the 13th century, the current building emerged after centuries marked by expulsions, persecutions during the Black Death, and eventual re‑establishment in the wake of the French Revolution. Expelled in the 16th century, the community was welcomed back post‑1789, gradually growing until by 1935 it numbered around 1,200, before the devastation of the Holocaust. The synagogue was plundered under Nazi occupation but was restored after the war, and remains active today as the principal place of worship for Jews in Colmar.

Architecturally, the Synagogue de Colmar is unique in Alsace: it is the only synagogue in the region adorned with a small bell tower, projecting its presence across the converging surrounding streets. The façade, executed in local sandstone, features a semicircular fanlight above the entrance framed by pilasters, flanked by round‑arched windows. Hebrew and French inscriptions over the portal add deeper symbolic meaning. Inside, daylight floods through numerous arched windows into a rectangular prayer hall with a central bimah and a three‑sided women’s gallery supported by simple columns.

For visitors to Colmar, a guided tour of this synagogue offers an enriching journey that blends architectural beauty with profound historical resonance. By appointment (via the synagogue website or local tourism office), you can explore both the elegance of its interior and the poignant memorial to community members lost during the Second World War. Open to tourists of all backgrounds, it’s a meaningful stop that illuminates the cultural tapestry of this charismatic town.