Monheim Town Hall
Encyclopedia
The Monheim Town Hall is a historical building in Monheim
, Bavaria
, southern Germany
, now owned by the city's council.
The building, constructed from 1714 to 1720 for a rich Jewish merchant, the Court Jew
Abraham Elias Model, is most notable for its ceiling
s, displaying motifs from the Old Testament
, or Tanakh
, which were restored in 1978 and 1994 respectively.
allowed six Jewish families which had been banned from Eichstätt
, to settle in Monheim. The new community was allowed to acquire property in Monheim, to construct a Synagogue
and to work as merchants in town. In the following years, the community grew considerably, numbering 19 families and 150 people by 1737.
The prospering community however raised concerns with the local population, which was worried about eventually becoming outnumbered in town. In 1736, restrictions were passed, allowing only a limited number of weddings to be conducted by the local Jews at considerable cost. In 1741, Duke Charles III Philip passed an act banning all Jews from Palatinate-Neuburg
. By the 31 July 1741, all Jews had to leave his lands and were only permitted to take with them what they could carry. No financial compensation was made for their loss of property. The Jews from Monheim left for the towns in the region not part of Palatinate-Neuburg and their origin from Monheim remains obvious through the surname Monheim or Monheimer.
. The later owned a brewery and guest house at the spot, called Gasthaus zur Rose. Model had the old building demolished and commissioned a new building to be constructed, which was erected between 1714 and 1720.
The new building, which was referred to in the local town chronicles as "very precious", was built in Baroque
style. It was a square three-story building which was richly decorated, especially the ceilings. The main room on the second floor, now the council chambers, depict Abraham
being prevented by the angel from sacrificing Isaac
, with a text in Hebrew
from the Book of Genesis.
The ceiling, long hidden, was only restored in 1978. Two more ceilings, also on the second floor, were restored in 1994. One depicts Moses
receiving the Ten Commandments
while the other shows King David
playing the harp
.
For a time it was assumed that the house also functioned as a synagogue, Monheim having had a Rabbi
since 1715, but this has since been disproven. Nothing is left of the former synagogue, which was located in the near-by building that later became the guest house Zum Ochsen.
With the forced departure of the Jews in 1741, the building came into non-Jewish, private possession. In 1853, it was acquired by the town from the brewer Anton Wunderlich, to be used as a school house. For this purpose, the chamber that is now the main council chamber was subdivided into two rooms. The rooms were nevertheless insufficient to house all pupils and a separate building was constructed from 1892 to 1895 to house the school boys, while the girls stayed at the town hall. Eventually, two more, larger schools were completed, one in 1957 and 1976. With the completion of the later, the town hall ceased to be required for schooling purposes.
The ceilings on the second floor can be visited free of charge during the opening hours of the town hall, provided no marriages or council meetings take place in the rooms at the time.
, New York
, Location: DS 135 G4 M67 F74 Christian Bernreuther: Die Synagoge der Juden in Monheim, (English: The Jewish Synagogue in Monheim), published in: Heimatklänge (part of the local newspaper for Wemding
and Monheim), published: 31 October 1932
Monheim, Bavaria
Monheim is a municipality in the Donau-Ries district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 15 km northeast of Donauwörth, and 27 km east of Nördlingen. It lies in the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben.-History:...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, southern 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...
, now owned by the city's council.
The building, constructed from 1714 to 1720 for a rich Jewish merchant, the Court Jew
Court Jew
Court Jew is a term, typically applied to the Early Modern period, for historical Jewish bankers who handled the finances of, or lent money to, European royalty and nobility....
Abraham Elias Model, is most notable for its ceiling
Ceiling
A ceiling is an overhead interior surface that covers the upper limit of a room. It is generally not a structural element, but a finished surface concealing the underside of the floor or roof structure above....
s, displaying motifs from the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, or Tanakh
Tanakh
The Tanakh is a name used in Judaism for the canon of the Hebrew Bible. The Tanakh is also known as the Masoretic Text or the Miqra. The name is an acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...
, which were restored in 1978 and 1994 respectively.
The Jewish community
The Jewish community in Monheim was established in 1697, when Duke Johann WilhelmJohann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine
Johann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine was Elector Palatine , Duke Palatine of Neuburg/Danube , Duke of Jülich and Berg , and Duke of Upper Palatinate and Cham...
allowed six Jewish families which had been banned from Eichstätt
Eichstätt
Eichstätt is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the District of Eichstätt. It is located along the Altmühl River, at , and had a population of 13,078 in 2002. It is home to the Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, the lone Catholic university in Germany. The...
, to settle in Monheim. The new community was allowed to acquire property in Monheim, to construct a 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...
and to work as merchants in town. In the following years, the community grew considerably, numbering 19 families and 150 people by 1737.
The prospering community however raised concerns with the local population, which was worried about eventually becoming outnumbered in town. In 1736, restrictions were passed, allowing only a limited number of weddings to be conducted by the local Jews at considerable cost. In 1741, Duke Charles III Philip passed an act banning all Jews from Palatinate-Neuburg
Palatinate-Neuburg
Palatinate-Neuburg is a former territory of the Holy Roman Empire, founded in 1505. Its capital was Neuburg an der Donau. Its area was about 2,750 km², with a population of some 100,000.-History:...
. By the 31 July 1741, all Jews had to leave his lands and were only permitted to take with them what they could carry. No financial compensation was made for their loss of property. The Jews from Monheim left for the towns in the region not part of Palatinate-Neuburg and their origin from Monheim remains obvious through the surname Monheim or Monheimer.
The town hall
The location of the current town hall was acquired by Abraham Elias Model in 1712 from Ferdinand Kugler for 1,025 GuldenBaden gulden
The Gulden was a currency of Baden from 1754 until 1873. Until 1821, the Gulden was a unit of account, worth 5/12 of a Conventionsthaler, used to denominate banknotes but not issued as a coin. It was subdivided into 50 Conventionskreuzer or 60 Kreuzer landmünze.In 1821, the first Gulden coins were...
. The later owned a brewery and guest house at the spot, called Gasthaus zur Rose. Model had the old building demolished and commissioned a new building to be constructed, which was erected between 1714 and 1720.
The new building, which was referred to in the local town chronicles as "very precious", was built in Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
style. It was a square three-story building which was richly decorated, especially the ceilings. The main room on the second floor, now the council chambers, depict Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
being prevented by the angel from sacrificing Isaac
Isaac
Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
, with a text in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
from the Book of Genesis.
The ceiling, long hidden, was only restored in 1978. Two more ceilings, also on the second floor, were restored in 1994. One depicts Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
receiving the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
while the other shows King David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
playing the harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
.
For a time it was assumed that the house also functioned as a synagogue, Monheim having had a Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
since 1715, but this has since been disproven. Nothing is left of the former synagogue, which was located in the near-by building that later became the guest house Zum Ochsen.
With the forced departure of the Jews in 1741, the building came into non-Jewish, private possession. In 1853, it was acquired by the town from the brewer Anton Wunderlich, to be used as a school house. For this purpose, the chamber that is now the main council chamber was subdivided into two rooms. The rooms were nevertheless insufficient to house all pupils and a separate building was constructed from 1892 to 1895 to house the school boys, while the girls stayed at the town hall. Eventually, two more, larger schools were completed, one in 1957 and 1976. With the completion of the later, the town hall ceased to be required for schooling purposes.
The ceilings on the second floor can be visited free of charge during the opening hours of the town hall, provided no marriages or council meetings take place in the rooms at the time.
Sources
Various authors: Monheim - Kleine Stadt mit grosser Vergangenheit, (English: Monheim - Little town with a big history), publisher: Stadt Monheim, published: 1990 Aaron Friedmann (1855–1936): Die Geschichte der Juden in Monheim (English: The history of the Jews in Monheim), Publisher: Blätter für jüdische Geschichte und Literatur, published: 1902, publisher: Separatdruck Mainz, Leo Baeck InstituteLeo Baeck Institute
The Leo Baeck Institute-New York in Manhattan is a library, archive, and exhibition centre devoted to the study of the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry. The Institutes's offices and collections are housed in Center for Jewish History in New York City...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Location: DS 135 G4 M67 F74 Christian Bernreuther: Die Synagoge der Juden in Monheim, (English: The Jewish Synagogue in Monheim), published in: Heimatklänge (part of the local newspaper for Wemding
Wemding
Wemding is a municipality in the Donau-Ries district of Bavaria, Germany. Botanist Leonhart Fuchs was born here in 1501.Wemding is home to the Time pyramid, a public art work begun in 1993 and scheduled to be completed in the year 3183....
and Monheim), published: 31 October 1932