Synagogue Nordhorn

On the square of the synagogue (in the Alte Synagogenstraße) two elements point to the historical place. A plate is embedded in the pavement with the information: "On this plot of land stood the synagogue of the Jewish community of Nordhorn from 1814 until its destruction on November 10, 1938", accompanied by a reconstruction drawing of the synagogue (by Erich Begalke). A memorial stone placed on this site by the Nordhorn City Youth Council in 1968 was lost for several years after it was stolen, but was then reinstalled after it was found.

For the Jewish community, the synagogue formed a center of their community life. Initial plans were made possible by French rule. In 1871, the first house of worship burned down completely and was replaced three years later by a new building in the immediate vicinity. During the pogrom night of 1938, SA men first devastated the interior of the synagogue, then they stripped the building down to the ground. The Jewish community even had to pay for the destruction of its center itself: "demolition costs of the synagogue" and "restoration of the streetscape" were demanded. The vacant lot was sold to the owner of a neighboring business.