Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

In Sylling there was a stone church from the Middle Ages, which was demolished in 1851 because it had become too small. The new church, which was completed in 1852, was partly built with stones from the old church. The walls were plastered on the outside and inside. The carpenter Chr. H. Malling prepared the plan of the new church. It has a rectangular nave with a narrow choir and a west tower with a high tower helmet. The west tower was built in 1877 according to the drawings of the architect J. H. Nissen. The interior underwent major changes in the years 1947-52.

The church in Sylte is a church from 1863. It is not clear who the architect was, but the shipbuilder Nils A. Liaaen seems to have been the original designer of the church and the architect Jacob Wilhelm Nordan made some changes to the original design. The church in Sylte is very similar to the one in Sunnylven, and Liaan (who was originally from Ljøen by Hellesylt) was probably inspired by the new church in Hellesylt.

In the second half of the eighteenth century, the first Jews settled in Alphen. The oldest cemetery dates from that time.

Initially, religious services were held in home synagogues, until a piece of land was purchased in 1825 at the Morsinkhofsteeg to build a synagogue. The new building was put into use in 1828, although objections were raised by Catholics. At almost the same time, the Jewish community of Haaksbergen separated from that of Goor and became independent. In 1908, the mikveh adjacent to the synagogue was demolished and the classroom next to it was converted into a mikveh. From that moment on, the children received Jewish lessons in the public school. Although Jews still lived in Haaksbergen after the war, it was no longer possible to hold synagogue services in 1967. The community was dissolved in 1972 and merged with that of Hengelo. The ritual bath was demolished in 1978. The synagogue was preserved on the initiative of a local committee and restored in 1982. The building is now in use as a synagogue by the Liberal Jewish Community of Twente. The Jewish cemetery is listed as a monument and has been maintained by the local authorities since 1991. (Source: [1]

Extremely important and beautiful building. One of the most beautiful synagogues in the Netherlands, both in terms of exterior (domes) and well-preserved interior. Still actively in use as a synagogue. The synagogue of Enschede is located on Prinsestraat. It consists of two houses, a large prayer room, a small prayer room, two classrooms, a party room and a ritual bath. On Wednesdays and Sundays (except for Jewish holidays) the synagogue is open to the public. Synagogue of NIG Twente, functions as a 'House that Connects' a place for discussion and debate (Stichting Synagoge Enschede)

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, a synagogue was established in a rented space on the Varkensmarkt in Oss. Before that, religious services had been held in private homes since 1764. The dilapidated synagogue on the Varkensmarkt was replaced in 1831 by a new building on the Koornstraat . Half a century later, this building was expanded with a school and an official residence and formed the centre of Jewish life in Oss until the Second World War. After the liberation, it became clear that the synagogue could no longer be restored. The front facade has been preserved and is now a municipal monument. This building is listed as a Municipal Monument of the Netherlands.

In 1845, a synagogue was built in the Schoolstraat. The Jewish community also had its own school. There was a board for the poor and a society that took care of the sick and the poor, while a women's society took care of the maintenance of the synagogue and the ritual objects. During the occupation, approximately 80 Jews went into hiding in the vicinity of Breda, who were supported by the resistance. Serious damage was done to the synagogue by the NSB, and part of the interior was stolen. After the war, the Jewish community of Breda initially met in a room converted into a synagogue from 1952 onwards. In 1971, a building was purchased on the Dr. van Mierlostraat and consecrated as a synagogue. The old synagogue on the Schoolstraat served as a workshop for many years, but was put back into use in September 1992 after a renovation and restoration. The synagogue also houses a modest library. Since December 2002, the building has been owned by the NIG (Dutch Israelite Community) Breda, who bought it from the Breda Synagogue Exploitation Foundation. Services are held regularly. In nearby Terheijden , the synagogue of the liberal Jewish community of Brabant was inaugurated in 1983. (Source: JHM)

Neo-Gothic synagogue. From 1950 to 1983 Reformed Church (Liberated), then Dutch Reformed Church. The building of the Dutch Reformed Church was built as a synagogue and dates from 1868. The Jewish community in Culemborg grew to around 200 members at the end of the 19th century. This made the construction of a house of prayer necessary. The synagogue was built in neo-Gothic style. Characteristic are the 3 pinnacles on the front facade and the pointed arch windows. The old synagogue, housed in an abbey right next to the new synagogue, was converted into a mikveh (bathhouse) and religious school. All these Jewish institutions ensured that the street on which they were located soon became known as Jodenkerkstraat, a name it still has today.

This Synagogue was founded in 1707 in the house of Jacob Pereira. Around 1725, the famous architect Daniel Marot designed the Synagogue that still exists today and is still used by the Liberal Jewish Community of The Hague. It should be noted that the clients wanted a synagogue that would resemble the Portuguese Jewish Synagogue of Amsterdam. This had been built 50 years earlier. The foundation stone of the complex in The Hague was laid on 16 April 1725. It is an impressive building. At the top is the year 5486 (1726). Below that is written in Hebrew "How lovely are your Dwellings". The complex has 12 windows, one for each tribe of Israel. The intention was that the Synagogue would also have a tower (with a clock), just like the Synagogue in Rotterdam that was built around the same time. In 1725, the administrators of The Hague agreed to its construction by a vote of 15 to 1, but several preachers from The Hague subsequently campaigned against the tower and it was never built.

Initially, religious services were held in a private house on the Vismarkt, but in 1723 a building on the Levendaal was occupied, which was furnished as a synagogue. In the same year, the statutes of the Jewish community were approved by the city council. The facade of the synagogue on the Levendaal was adapted to the use of the building with the permission of the government almost ten years later. Despite the restrictive provisions and the economic malaise in which Leiden found itself in the second half of the eighteenth century, the number of Jews in the city increased, certainly after the Jews officially obtained equal civil rights in 1796. The explosion of a gunpowder ship in 1807 not only destroyed the archives of the Jewish community, the synagogue was also badly damaged and the Jewish school was completely destroyed. After some provisional restorations, it proved necessary to completely renovate the synagogue building halfway through the nineteenth century. In 1858, the building on the Levendaal was reconsecrated and at the same time a new school building was put into use. Most of Leiden's Jews lived near the synagogue.