Ottostraße 85
50823 Köln
Germany
The Jewish Welfare Center was founded in 1867 as an Israelite asylum for the sick and infirm. In the 1890s it was decided to build a new building on Ottostraß. The inauguration took place on 19.2.1908. At the instigation of the medical director, Dr. Auerbach, the facility met the most modern requirements. During WW1, the asylum provided up to 200 hospital beds. The asylum managed to survive the crises of the Weimar period. The necessary modernizations due to the enormous burden of the war years could only be financed gradually. In addition, the asylum was criticized by the local community due to denominational tensions. Despite these obstacles, the total capacity was increased to 250 beds. In 1932, the asylum could look back on a 63-year history and the future prospects were also favorable. The largely Jüdische staff of the institution treated patients of all classes and denominations.
After the asylum had to be evacuated during World War II, it was returned to the Jüdische community on May 30, 1945. Since the building had survived the war relatively unscathed, prayer and prayer rooms were set up there, as well as accommodation for Jewish returnees. Under strained financial circumstances, the community began to rebuild. This plan was never fully realized: in 1950 the Belgian military government took over parts of the building, and in 1974 the entire complex was sold to the FRG. With the withdrawal of the troops in 1995, the hospital fell into the hands of the federal government. However, after long negotiations, the Jewish community was able to take over one half of the building, and a real estate investor close to the city was awarded the other half. From 2000-2003, the current welfare center was built according to the plans of the architects Coersmeier and Jacoby. The complex includes, among other things, a home for parents, a kindergarten, a Jewish school and a retirement home.
