The Alte Synagoge of Erfurt, Germany is believed to be the oldest synagogue building still standing in the world. The oldest parts of the building date back to the late 11th century. The synagogue was used by the Erfurt Jewish community until the Erfurt Massacre of 1349, when the Jewish population was killed or driven from the area. After this, the building was turned into a storehouse and later altered for various uses.
The building’s history was largely forgotten until the late 1980s when architectural historian Elmar Altwasser began to research its past. Restoration efforts began in 1998 and the synagogue was reopened in 2009 as a museum of Jewish history. It houses a collection of medieval coins and jewelry that were buried in the Jewish Quarter before the 1349 massacre.
