| Great Synagogue of Warsaw Wielka Synagoga w Warszawie |
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Great Synagogue in the 1910s |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Warsaw, Poland |
| Affiliation | Reform Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Destroyed May 16, 1943 |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Leander Marconi |
| 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.
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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 SS 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 the 1980s, the site has been occupied by a large skyscraper, once known as the Golden Skyscraper and currently commonly referred to as the Blue Skyscraper (Polish: Błękitny Wieżowiec).