The Heritage House and the Jewish Cemetery

Durmenach was a major Jewish settlement in the 15th century, before its inhabitants built most of the houses in the center between the 16th and 18th centuries. In 1784, more than half of the population was Jewish, but the anti-Jewish riots of 1848, which destroyed 75 houses, caused their exodus. After World War II, only fifteen Jews returned, finding a devastated synagogue like many others in Alsace. The community then disappeared with rural exodus, and the synagogue, sold in 1959, was destroyed by fire in 1983. Today, only the Jewish cemetery remains, with over 360 graves, some remnants of the former synagogue, and a commemorative street. However, a small 18th-century house, the Heritage House, was saved and restored by locals. This modest 40 m² building now houses objects and documents collected by the local history society, thus preserving the memory of Durmenach's Jewish community.