The synagogue that became known as the Great Synagogue of Oświęcim is first mentioned in local sources in 1588. The building was mostly likely originally made from wood and was twice destroyed by fire (1711 and 1863). After the second fire, the synagogue was reconstructed in stone.
At the end of the 19th century, the synagogue had 2,000 seats, and thus became known as the Great Synagogue. The monumental building would have been easily distinguishable in the pre-war panorama of Oświęcim and was intended to represent the position of the local Jewish community. It was the center of Jewish religious life in the town, surrounded by the neighboring seat of the kehilla (Hebrew for the Jewish community) and other religious institutions.
Synagogue services were mostly attended by progressive members of the Jewish community, including doctors, lawyers, businessmen, and clerks, and to a lesser extent by traditional members of the community.
Following the occupation of Oświęcim, the Great Synagogue was set ablaze and destroyed by the Germans on the night of November 29, 1939, and its remains were demolished.
In 2004, a group of archeologists from Toruń University in Poland performed an excavation on the site of the Great Synagogue and found more than 400 artifacts that had been part of the Great Synagogue’s furnishings; among these artifacts were the ner tamid (eternal flame) and many candelabra and chandeliers.