Mikvah (Herborn)

The mikvah is located in the basement vault of the house Kornmarkt 22, a building that was used by the Jewish community in the town of Herborn (today: Lahn-Dill district, in Hesse) from 1677 to 1875. Here were also the synagogue and the schoolroom of the Jewish community.

A dating of the bath from the building historical findings proved to be impossible. It seems certain that the mikvah was probably built into the basement of the building with the use of the building as a cult center of the community - possibly also subsequently. The interlocking arrangement of two barrel vaults, which do not match each other, also gave rise to the assumption that the building may date back to the 14th century, when there was a first Jewish community in Herborn. However, this cannot be proven. Traces of multiple repairs of the facility between the 17th and 19th centuries have been proven. The last major renovation of the bath took place in the 19th century. Whether the mikvah was still used after 1875, when the synagogue was moved to another location, could also not be clarified.

On the occasion of a renovation of the building, the mikvah was rediscovered in 1983, uncovered and restored until 1984.  Today, the mikvah is maintained by the Museum Herborn in the High School of the city and is accessible to visitors through a side entrance in the street Hanauer Hof.