Destruction of November 1938, Restored Digitally in 2025

A digital reconstruction research team led by Professor Marc Grellert at TU Darmstadt (Technical University of Darmstadt) has completed a project to restore synagogues destroyed by the Nazis through virtual reality. This long-term project, which began in 1994, launched a website (virtuelle-synagogen.de) offering virtual tours of over 40 synagogues on November 9th, coinciding with Kristallnacht memorial day.

Visitors to the website can, with just a few clicks, walk through medieval Cologne's Jewish quarter or explore the interior of magnificent synagogues in Hanover, Darmstadt, Dresden, and Schwerin. The project encompasses various scales and architectural styles, from small rural synagogues to large urban prayer halls.

30-Year Project Sparked by Neo-Nazi Arson Attack

The project's origins trace back to 1994, when neo-Nazis carried out an arson attack on the Lübeck synagogue. Grellert, then an engineer, began this work with the determination to "strike back at both old and new Nazis."

Initially, three synagogues were reconstructed for an exhibition at Frankfurt's Jewish Museum. "The response was so overwhelming that I decided to continue," Grellert recalls. Old photographs, architectural blueprints, survivor testimonies, and period sketches were pieced together like a puzzle to restore each building.

Medieval to Baroque: Lost Architectural Heritage

The website includes not only synagogues destroyed during the Nazi era in 1938 but also ancient synagogues from medieval Cologne, Worms, and Speyer, as well as Baroque-style prayer halls from Horb and Frankfurt's Jewish streets. Each building features images, videos, panoramic views, and historical information, with overviews allowing comparison of various architectural styles and liturgical orientations.

Before and after the November 1938 pogroms, over 1,400 synagogues, prayer rooms, and assembly halls were destroyed in Germany. This project goes beyond simply restoring buildings—it aims to remember the rich and diverse Jewish life that existed in Germany and deliver a warning message about antisemitism.

From 2D Printouts to VR Experiences: Evolution of Technology

In the early 2000s, at the project's inception, restored synagogues were exhibited only in printed form at the Federal Art and Exhibition Hall in Bonn. However, thanks to dramatic advances in computer technology, it is now possible to wear virtual reality (VR) headsets and actually walk through reconstructed synagogues.

The research team has used the same technology to reconstruct the Vatican Palace and 800 years of architectural history of Moscow's Kremlin. The traveling exhibition "German Synagogues - Virtual Reconstruction" has received enthusiastic responses in Israel, Canada, and the United States. Recently, work has also begun on printing digital models as physical replicas using 3D printing technology with various materials including plaster, ceramic, and glass.

Traces of Jewish Culture in Urban Landscapes [AI Analysis]

This project transcends simple architectural restoration, serving as work that visualizes the position and significance of Jewish communities within urban history. Synagogues that once adorned the centers of major German cities symbolized the cultural and religious diversity of local communities.

As digital technology is increasingly utilized for historical education and commemoration, this project has high potential to present a new model for Holocaust memory transmission. Particularly as survivors gradually diminish, immersive digital experiences can serve as effective means of conveying a sense of historical loss to younger generations.

There is also potential for future expansion using augmented reality (AR) technology to overlay images of past synagogues via smartphones at actual destruction sites. Professor Grellert's team's work is evaluated as an important example of how technology can contribute to historical justice and the politics of memory.