Synagogue

The Mutzig Synagogue, the oldest in Alsace, stands about thirty kilometers from Strasbourg, on the wine route. Built in 1787 at the initiative of Aaron Meyer, General Representative of the Jewish nation, it succeeded an even older building mentioned during the Terror. Until 1915, Mutzig housed a rabbinate and a rabbinical court for the Jews of the Strasbourg Bishopric. In 1784, the community had more than 300 members.

Listed in the supplementary inventory of Historic Monuments, the synagogue retains its original appearance. From the outside, it resembles a bourgeois house, with its tall windows and facade adorned with Tuscan columns. Inside, a central square room is illuminated by 20th-century stained glass windows. At the center stands the almemor, a platform where services were held, while a gallery opposite the Holy Ark welcomed women and now serves as a prayer room. The curtain of the Holy Ark is preserved at the Alsatian Museum in Strasbourg.

Its turbulent history reflects the trials faced by the Jewish community. Confiscated in 1793 to become a meeting place for patriots, it was later turned into a carpenter's workshop. In 1936, the community numbered only 54 people, down from over 100 in 1910. A Jewish school, opened in the mid-19th century, closed in 1922. During the Occupation, the synagogue was looted, vandalized, and converted into a garage, severely damaging its interior. The original flooring was covered with cement, and worship was moved to the first floor until the 1980s.

Nearby, in the Mutzig forest, a path called "the Jews' path" leads to a place known as "the Jews' hut or cabin." Two hypotheses explain this name: a refuge for Jews during antisemitic demonstrations or a resting place for livestock traders or peddlers before morning prayer.

Entrance is from Rue Haute, in the "Judehofft" district, the Jews' courtyard. Today, the synagogue is closed to the public.