Fürstenberg Synagogue

There had been a synagogue in Fürstenberg/Havel since the 18th century. The first evidence of prayers in Fürstenberg dates back to 1764. In the same year, the Jewish community began to ask the duke for permission to buy a house due to increasing membership numbers. They received permission on May 28, 1777, and after 11 years the synagogue was put on record as the purchased house was in need of repair due to water damage. In 1788, a new synagogue was built on a plot of land in the western part of the town. In 1797, there was a town fire in Fürstenberg, which also had serious consequences for the synagogue: it fell victim to the fire and was burnt down. The third synagogue followed after 1800.

In the middle of the 19th century, the synagogue fell into disrepair again, whereupon it was renovated in October 1852. The declining number of Jewish members at the same time posed a problem. Nevertheless, the synagogue was rebuilt, as the congregation wrote that the synagogue was "almost on the verge of collapse, it is so dilapidated that it is dangerous to visit". The appearance of the new synagogue is described as follows: The side front faced the street. The meeting room, which occupied the entire upper floor, was accessed via a staircase. The choir was supported on four wooden pillars and was surrounded by a parapet that also extended around the women's benches. There were also 16 men's benches at right angles to the 15 women's benches. These faced the raised pulpit and the altar.

Due to further emigration of the Jewish population at the end of the 19th century, the congregation was no longer able to afford the maintenance costs, which is why the synagogue was no longer allowed to be entered. It was then sold into private hands in February 1913. Services and community meetings continued to take place in the synagogue until 1922, when it was later demolished and new buildings were erected, which still stand there today.