Ruine der ehemaligen Synagoge

In Rossmühlegasse stands a massive old building made of quarry stone, overgrown, weathered and with partially bricked-up openings. It was a synagogue - a house of prayer and the center of a Jewish community. Today it is a ruin, provisionally roofed and used as a private garage.

This building is one of the most remarkable and important examples of medieval synagogue architecture in the German-speaking world and is known far beyond our borders. It is the oldest and largest former synagogue in present-day Austria and the oldest building in Korneuburg that has been preserved in its entirety. It was probably built between 1320 and 1350.

After the expulsion of the Jews from Vienna and Lower Austria in 1420, the building was used as a granary. Over the centuries, the former synagogue had various uses, and towards the end of the 16th century an animal-powered mill, a horse mill, was built in.

In 1646, during the Thirty Years' War, the house was destroyed during the siege to liberate the town from the Swedes. It remained a ruin until 1766, when it was rebuilt as a storehouse and passed into private ownership.

The former synagogue was placed under a preservation order in 1980 and is now awaiting restoration.