The first synagogue in Graz was built in 1865 - but not on the spot where you are standing now. It was located on the other side of the Mur River, where the regional health insurance office stands today. As the Jewish community grew, it soon became too small. The construction of a new, larger synagogue was delayed for a long time for financial reasons. In 1892, the new synagogue was finally completed and ceremoniously inaugurated. An administrative and school building was also constructed next to the place of worship. The inauguration was a significant event, which was also reported in the daily newspapers. In 1914, a heated winter synagogue was set up in the administrative and school building, as the large synagogue could not be heated sufficiently.
Leo Dortort's descriptions refer to the old synagogue, which was set on fire and destroyed by the Nazis during the November pogroms on the night of November 9-10, 1938. Today's synagogue is not the same building: