Cultural heritage
The City Temple, the heart of the Jewish community in Vienna, is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. Austrian Post is celebrating the occasion with a commemorative stamp.
Jewish life in Vienna enjoyed a period of growth at the start of the 19th century, and it was during this time that the Vienna City Temple was built to plans by the renowned Viennese architect Joseph Kornhäusel. However, it was forbidden for non-Catholic houses of worship, so-called “tolerance houses”, to be recognisable from the outside, meaning that the city temple had to merge seamlessly with the houses that surrounded it. Consequently, the actual synagogue is located behind the building that is seen from the street. It comprises an oval prayer room topped by a dome, with the twelve pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel.
The City Temple was opened on 9th April 1826. It was laid waste to during the November pogrom in 1938, but thanks to its position in a built-up area of Vienna, it was the only synagogue that was not completely destroyed. After the end of the war, the synagogue was restored, and over the years it has been modernised and extended. Today it serves both as the great synagogue for the Jewish community and as a symbol of the continuous presence of Judaism in Vienna. As a place where people can meet up, it is regularly used for worship, concerts by cantors and other events by the Jewish community. This centenary stamp gives an insight into the interior of the synagogue, showing the twin tablets proclaiming the ten commandments above the Torah ark.
