Novi Sad Synagogue
Baumhorn's 1909 Art Nouveau synagogue, now used as one of the city's main concert halls.
The present building is the fifth synagogue to stand on this site. It was raised between 1905 and 1909 to designs by the Hungarian architect Lipót Baumhorn, who built more synagogues than any other architect of his generation. Baumhorn also designed the adjoining Jewish community offices and school, so that the three buildings read as a single Art Nouveau ensemble along Jevrejska Street. The semicircular inscription over the main gate quotes Isaiah: a house of prayer for all nations.
The plan is a three-aisled basilica crowned by a tall dome, seating around nine hundred, with stained glass, painted ornament and a large organ gallery. The Novi Sad Jewish community was all but destroyed during the Second World War, and regular worship ceased. Restored from the 1990s onwards and protected as a monument of great importance, the building is now owned by the city and valued above all for its acoustics, hosting classical concerts, festival programmes and recitals.
Highlights
- Art Nouveau ensemble of synagogue, school and community offices
- Three-aisled basilica plan under a tall central dome
- Isaiah inscription above the main gate
- Acoustics that make it a favoured classical concert hall
