Great Synagogue (Warsaw)

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Basic information
Great Synagogue of Warsaw Wielka Synagoga w Warszawie
Model of the synagogue
Location	Warsaw, Poland
Religious affiliation	Reform Judaism
Ecclesiastical status	Destroyed May 16, 1943
Architectural description
Architect(s)	Leander Marconi
Year completed	1878
Specifications

The Great Synagogue of Warsaw was the largest synagogue of pre-war Warsaw and one of the largest in the world at the time.

1 History
2 Gallery
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] History

The Great Synagogue was built by the Warsaw's Jewish community between 1875 and 1878 at Tłomackie street, in the south-eastern tip of the district in which the Jews were allowed to settle by the Russian Imperial authorities. The main architect was Leandro Marconi.

After the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, on May 16, 1943 the Germans blew up the building. It was not rebuilt after the war.

SS-Gruppenführer Jürgen Stroop recalled:

"What a wonderful sight! I called out Heil Hitler! and pressed the button. A terrific explosion brought flames right up to the clouds. The colors were unbelievable. An unforgettable allegory of the triumph over Jewry. The Warsaw Ghetto has ceased to exist. Because that is what Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler wanted."[1]

Since 1980s the site is occupied by a large skyscraper, once called the Golden Skyscraper and currently commonly referred to as the Blue Skyscraper, (Polish: Błękitny Wieżowiec).