Synagogue in Dresden

The new synagogue in Dresden takes the place of the one erected by Gottfried Semper in 1840, which was destroyed in 1938. A central courtyard separates the new place of worship from the community centre. Each course of the outer stone walling of the synagogue is rotated slightly in spiral form so that at the top, the facade faces exactly east. The closed, monolithic, cubic structure of this house of worship makes reference to the Temple of Solomon on Mount Zion – a symbol of permanence and a fixed location. In contrast, the internal prayer space, with its golden metal fabric, alludes to the provisional tabernacle in the form of a movable tent.