Synagogue Laudenbach near Karlstadt

The synagogue in Laudenbach is one of the oldest village synagogues in Germany still preserved in its outer form today. Its date of origin dates back to the 17th century. The first written record dates back to 1667 and during this time it was used not only by Jewish families from Laudenbach itself but also by Jews from the surrounding villages. In 1736 a fundamental renovation takes place with.a moderate extension. The building takes on its present appearance. Inside the house, there is evidence of many reconstruction measures and embellishments. Under the now white lime paint there are up to ten paintings on top of each other. Already in the 18th century the women's gallery is enlarged and spans the meeting room in a horseshoe shape at a height of about three meters. In 1885 the southeastern wall and the Torah shrine are redesigned, in 1902 four skylights are installed in the vaulted ceiling for better lighting of the women's gallery, still in 1926 the last major renovation takes place.

The interior of the synagogue is broken out during the November pogrom on November 10, 1938 by SA people and  involved population and destroyed in a large fire directly in front of the building. The burning down of the building itself is waived because of the narrow building. In 1945, as a result of war actions, the synagogue gets a shell hit in the main side wall. In the period from 1950 to 2013, the house is privately owned and used as a machine shop and agricultural storage. In 2013, the association "Föderkreis ehemalige Synagoge e.V." is founded, which tries to preserve the building and the other facilities of the Jewish community of Laudenbach. Today's owner is the city of Karlstadt.