Lappenberg
Encyclopedia
Lappenberg is an historic street in Hildesheim
, a city in Lower Saxony
in Germany
. It was the center of the Jewish community.
, is in the South of Lappenberg. The famous tower Kehrwiederturm, one of the most important sights of Hildesheim, is behind Lappenberg in the small lane Am Kehrwieder.
The synagogue
of Hildesheim was built in Lappenberg in 1849 by E. F. Schwartz, an architect from Hanover
, and in 1881 a Jewish school was inaugurated opposite. Most of the Jews of Hildesheim lived in the streets and lanes around Lappenberg. In 1933, Hildesheim had 62,519 inhabitants of whom 515 (0,8%) were Jews. The synagogue was destroyed on 9 November 1938.
In the Second World War, Lappenberg and the streets and lanes around received comparatively little damage. A part of house no. 12 was damaged during an air raid on 22 February 1945
, and house no. 16 was destroyed on 22 March 1945
, but it was rebuilt in the original style after the war. Some houses were damaged the same day.
The monument of the synagogue was built in 1988 at the very place where the synagogue had stood before 1938.
Today Lappenberg is one of the most important sights of Hildesheim.
lived in Hildesheim from 1971 until his death in 1974. He died in the hospital Sankt-Bernward Krankenhaus. Schindler lived in the street Goettingstrasse in Weststadt, a residential area in the West of Hildesheim. A commemorative plaque can be seen at the house no. 30 where he lived.
The new synagogue of Hildesheim was inaugurated on 10 November 2009 in a building provided free by the Catholic Church. In 2009, the Jewish community had 35 members..
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
, a city in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was the center of the Jewish community.
Location
Lappenberg is a street with a triangular place. It is in the South of the district Neustadt between Wollenweberstrasse, another historic street, and Neues Tor, a medieval city gate. Kehrwiederwall, a part of the rempart system which was built around Hildesheim in the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, is in the South of Lappenberg. The famous tower Kehrwiederturm, one of the most important sights of Hildesheim, is behind Lappenberg in the small lane Am Kehrwieder.
History
Jews have lived in Hildesheim from the beginning of the 16th century approximately, and in 1536, the street Lappenberg was mentioned as a residence of Jews for the first time. The street developed into the center of the Jewish community. In 1803 Hildesheim had 11,108 habitantes of whom 377 were Jews.The synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
of Hildesheim was built in Lappenberg in 1849 by E. F. Schwartz, an architect from Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, and in 1881 a Jewish school was inaugurated opposite. Most of the Jews of Hildesheim lived in the streets and lanes around Lappenberg. In 1933, Hildesheim had 62,519 inhabitants of whom 515 (0,8%) were Jews. The synagogue was destroyed on 9 November 1938.
In the Second World War, Lappenberg and the streets and lanes around received comparatively little damage. A part of house no. 12 was damaged during an air raid on 22 February 1945
Bombing of Hildesheim in World War II
The German city of Hildesheim, ca. 30 kilometres south of Hanover was target of several Allied air raids in 1945.-Hildesheim during World War II:In 1939, Hildesheim had about 72,000 inhabitants...
, and house no. 16 was destroyed on 22 March 1945
Bombing of Hildesheim in World War II
The German city of Hildesheim, ca. 30 kilometres south of Hanover was target of several Allied air raids in 1945.-Hildesheim during World War II:In 1939, Hildesheim had about 72,000 inhabitants...
, but it was rebuilt in the original style after the war. Some houses were damaged the same day.
The monument of the synagogue was built in 1988 at the very place where the synagogue had stood before 1938.
Today Lappenberg is one of the most important sights of Hildesheim.
Sights and Architecture
- The monument of the synagogue consisting of a cube with a Star of DavidStar of DavidThe Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
was built in Lappenberg in 1988. The foundations were reconstructed and give an impression of the size and the shape of the octagonal building which had two towers. The entrance was in the West and the apsisApsisAn apsis , plural apsides , is the point of greatest or least distance of a body from one of the foci of its elliptical orbit. In modern celestial mechanics this focus is also the center of attraction, which is usually the center of mass of the system...
was in the East. The necessary information is given on a commemorative plaque.
- The former Jewish school (building no. 21) was inaugurated in 1881. It was built of tiles in a neogothic style. The Jewish school, which was a public primary school, had 31 pupils in 1932 and 10 in 1939. After the destruction of the synagogue in 1938, the school became the most important building in the Jewish community. In 1942 it was closed and converted into an orphanage.
- Lappenberg consists of well-preserved half-timbered houses most of which were built in the 16th and 17th century. Some of them have noteworthy wood carvings in their facades. There is a Star of David above the entrance of houses no. 3 which was built in 1750 and renovated in 1989. In some cases, the year of construction is indicated in the facade, e.g. house no. 11 was built in 1691. Many houses have old and colourful wooden doors.
- House no. 13 is called Domus Jerusalem (Jerusalem House). It was built in 1782 and renovated in 2006.
- An old Jewish cemetery can be seen in Teichstrasse street in Oststadt, a residential area about one kilometer from Lappenberg. The cemetery was founded at the beginning of the 17th century. It was closed in 1892 when another Jewish cemetery was opened in the North of Hildesheim. There is a third Jewish cemetery in Bennostrasse street in Moritzberg, a district of Hildesheim which was an independent town until 1911. This cemetery was used from 1800 to 1849, and 29 well-preserved graves can still be seen there.
- Kehrwiederturm Tower, with a height of 30 meters, was built in the 14th century and is one of the most famous sights of Hildesheim. The tower is behind Lappenberg in the pictoresque lane Am Kehrwieder.
- Neues Tor, an old city gate which was built in the 14th century, is a part of the medieval rempart Kehrwiederwall in the South of Lappenberg. In the North Wollenweberstrasse, another historic street, is worth a visit.
Additional information
Oskar SchindlerOskar Schindler
Oskar Schindler was an ethnic German industrialist born in Moravia. He is credited with saving over 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories, which were located in what is now Poland and the Czech Republic respectively.He is the subject of the...
lived in Hildesheim from 1971 until his death in 1974. He died in the hospital Sankt-Bernward Krankenhaus. Schindler lived in the street Goettingstrasse in Weststadt, a residential area in the West of Hildesheim. A commemorative plaque can be seen at the house no. 30 where he lived.
The new synagogue of Hildesheim was inaugurated on 10 November 2009 in a building provided free by the Catholic Church. In 2009, the Jewish community had 35 members..