Frieze from a colonnade of the Hauptsynagoge of Mainz destroyed in Kristallnacht
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 32.250 inches (81.915 cm) | Width: 33.750 inches (85.725 cm) | Depth: 11.750 inches (29.845 cm)
Archival History
The frieze was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1998 by the City of Mainz, Germany.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Stadt Mainz
Scope and Content
Cast concrete ornamental section of the frieze from the portico colonnade of the 1912 Hauptsynagoge [Main Synagogue] of Mainz, Germany. The synagogue was desecrated and burned during the Kristallnacht pogrom on November 9-10, 1938. The remains of the synagogue were demolished with explosives a few days later. A customs office was built on the site. In 1988, during renovation of the government building, remnants of the synagogue portico were discovered.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Gray, roughly textured, cast concrete square form with rounded front top edges. The front has a thrice-repeated relief design of a shaft rising vertically from scalloped ground, set within a curved arch. At the top of each shaft is a circular shape, with a six-pointed star in the middle; the overall design resembles a tree. The right shaft is damaged and the right star is almost obliterated. The arched borders of the 3 reliefs connect to a pedestal-like design of 3 horizontal lines at the base. The surface of the stone above the reliefs and over the curved top has a vertically fluted design. The upper right corner is broken.
Subjects
- Jews--Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)--History.
- Synagogue architecture--Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)
- Synagogues--Destruction and pillage--Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)
- Kristallnacht, 1938--Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)
Genre
- Object
- Architectural Elements