8 Remarkable Synagogues & Cemetery In Budapest

Visit the most beautiful – and often hidden – synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in Budapest.

The Dohány Street Synagogue (1854-1859) in Budapest is the biggest synagogue in Europe. Photo: Tas Tóbiás

Following a golden period of alliance between Hungarian Jews and the liberal aristocracy, more than twenty percent of Budapest's residents were Jewish by 1910. Despite the Holocaust and the post-war Jewish emigration from Hungary, the city today is still home to the biggest Ashkenazi community in continental Europe, an estimated 100,000 people (here, you can read more about the history of Jewish people in Hungary). Hungarian Jews split into three factions in 1869 over a disagreement about assimilation. The central synagogue of each of these three groups comprises the so-called "synagogue triangle" inside Budapest's old Jewish Quarter (#1-3 below).

There are 16 functional synagogues in Budapest today – 31 in greater Hungary – with a total congregation size of only a few thousand members. Most belong to the relatively progressive Neolog faction, followed by the increasingly active Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidics, and the Autonomous Orthodox Jewish Community.

Photo: Tas Tóbiás
Photo: Tas Tóbiás

#1 - Dohány Street Synagogue (location; opening hours vary, closed on Saturday; HUF 10,800 admission, which includes a guided tour to the synagogue and entry to the Jewish Museum): This enormous building, commissioned by the progressive Neolog faction of Budapest's Jews in the 1850s, is the biggest synagogue in Europe. Some of its features, like the towers, the pulpits, the organ, and the placement of the bimah bring to mind a Christian church (orthodox and ultra-orthodox Jews still regard it with sneering contempt). Although the congregation today has only about 300 active members, the synagogue fills up during High Holiday services.

Attached to the synagogue is the Garden of Remembrance, a mass grave for Jews killed by Hungarian Nazis in 1944 and 1945. In the back is the weeping willow memorial, with the names of Hungarian Holocaust victims inscribed on the metal leaves (the Tablets of Stone in front of it are stripped of their content). The symbolic tomb of Raoul Wallenberg commemorates the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews in Budapest during the Holocaust.

Also attached to the synagogue is the Jewish Museum (entry is included in the admission ticket), showcasing Jewish relics from Hungary. Highlights include an ornate seder plate made by the Hungarian porcelain manufacturer, Herendi, and a 3rd century CE tombstone from the region decorated with a carved menorah. Finally, a memorial plaque outside the synagogue shows where stood the house where the famous Zionist, the "Father of Israel," Theodor Herzl, was born.


The young Otto Wagner's Rumbach Street Synagogue (1870-1872) in Budapest shows emphatic Moorish elements. Photo: Tas Tóbiás
The young Otto Wagner's Rumbach Street Synagogue (1870-1872) in Budapest shows emphatic Moorish elements. Photo: Tas Tóbiás

#2 - Rumbach Street Synagogue (location; closed on Saturday; HUF 4,000 admission): The young Viennese architect, Otto Wagner, who later became a pioneer of modern architecture, designed this stunning synagogue in 1872. The Islamic ornaments – minaret-like towers and slender, Moorish-style Alhambra columns – evoke the medieval architecture of Sephardic Jews in the Iberian Peninsula. In the past, the congregation belonged to the “middle” faction of Budapest Jews, people who favored some religious reforms but were put off by the modern designs of the nearby Dohány Street Synagogue. Today, the building functions as a museum.


Photo: Tas Tóbiás
Photo: Tas Tóbiás

#3 - Kazinczy Street Orthodox Synagogue (location; opening hours vary, closed on Saturday; HUF 3,000 admission): This impressive Art Nouveau synagogue from 1913 anchors the winding Kazinczy Street, which has long been home to Budapest's orthodox Jewish community, and more recently to Budapest's nightlife. The inside features pale-blue walls, stained glass windows, and benches adorned with Hungarian folk motifs. The fortress-like complex also contains a kosher butcher shop (35 Dob Street), a kosher restaurant (Carmel), two prayer rooms, and a wrought-iron chuppah under which a Jewish couple stands during their wedding ceremony. Today, the congregation has only about 70 members.


Photo: Tas Tóbiás
Photo: Tas Tóbiás

#4 - Salgótarjani Street Jewish Cemetery (location; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed on Saturday; free admission): Opened in 1874, this is the oldest functional Jewish cemetery in Budapest. The Jewish business and political elite is buried here, as evidenced by the ornate marble and granite mausoleums designed by leading architects. A highlight is the cubic funeral home (ohel) at the entrance. Many of the tombs are in bad shape – neglected, collapsed, and overgrown with ivy and creeper – because family members of the deceased were killed in the Holocaust or fled Hungary, leaving no one to maintain the graves.

Insta

Budapest’s one remaining Jewish ritual bath (mikveh) is located right next to Szimpla Kert, the world-famous ruin bar. Photo: Tas Tóbiás
Budapest’s one remaining Jewish ritual bath (mikveh) is located right next to Szimpla Kert, the world-famous ruin bar. Photo: Tas Tóbiás

#5 - Kazinczy Street Mikveh (location; advance registration necessary to visit or use the bath: +36 20 961 5419): Bizarrely, Budapest’s one remaining Jewish ritual bath (mikveh) is located right next to Szimpla Kert, the world-famous ruin bar. To meet the strict religious requirements, the bath uses only rainwater collected on the roof and spring water through wells drilled in the garden. The bath, built in 1928, was partially refurbished in 2004, when a New York-based Hasidic mikveh specialist commuted weekly between New York and Budapest to oversee the renovations.


#6 - Budapest University of Jewish Studies (location; opening hours vary, call +36 1 318 7049, extension 110 to schedule a visit; €10 admission): With the active support of King Franz Joseph, Budapest's progressive (Neolog) Jews founded a Rabbinical Seminary in 1877 to educate a more secular clergy. During the Communist era, this was the only rabbinical seminary in the Eastern Bloc. Today, 180 students are enrolled with an academic staff of 80. There's a charming synagogue inside the building and the university is also home to the world's most complete library on Jewish theology. You can arrange a guided tour using the phone number listed above.


Photo: Tas Tóbiás
Photo: Tas Tóbiás

#7 - Dessewffy Street Orthodox Synagogue (location; opening hours vary, usually open only in the mornings from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.; call +36 30 200 7674 to schedule a visit; no admission): Hidden behind a nondescript, one-story building, Dessewffy is the oldest orthodox synagogue of Budapest. It was known as the "porters' synagogue," as many of its congregants worked as carriers at the nearby Nyugati railway station. Today, there are only three active members, meaning they're unable to assemble a minyan but they nonetheless meet every weekday morning for prayer. You can arrange a visit using the phone number listed above.


Remains of the medieval Sephardic prayer room in Budapest's Castle Hill. Photo: Tas Tóbiás
Remains of the medieval Sephardic prayer room in Budapest's Castle Hill. Photo: Tas Tóbiás

#8 - Medieval Jewish Prayer Room (location; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed on Monday and Saturday; HUF 800 admission): Of Budapest's medieval synagogues, only this tiny Sephardic prayer room has survived which today doubles as a museum (the local Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidim uses it for services). The paintings and Hebrew inscriptions depict the existential worries of Jews caught in the clashes between the allied European and Ottoman armies. Some remains of the massive Ashkenazi synagogue, which stood across the street from here, are displayed in the courtyard. There are medieval tombstones next to the entrance.

My content is free and independent. I never accept money in exchange for coverage. If you've enjoyed this article, please consider supporting me by making a one-time payment (PayPal, Venmo).