Fasanenstraße

The former Fasanenstrasse Synagogue in Berlin's Charlottenburg district was the first Jewish house of worship built outside the historic city center, in a rising suburb. Construction began in 1910 following an architectural competition, and the winning design was by Ehrenfried Hessel. Consecrated in 1912, the building marked a stylistic break with earlier synagogue architecture, which often drew on historicizing elements, and instead took a modern approach. The liberal congregation used the imposing building in the affluent western part of the city, where Leo Baeck, who later became head of the community, was among those who preached. Like many other Jewish institutions, the synagogue fell victim to Nazi terror. After antisemitic riots and a forced closure in 1936, it was set on fire during the November pogrom of 1938 and later damaged further by air raids. The congregation was forced to hand the property over to the Reichspost. The ruins were demolished in the late 1950s, as it was no longer thought possible that Jewish life would be revived on this scale. Today, all that recalls the former building is a column capital that was incorporated into a structure in New York, while a community center stands on the site.