Dohány Street Synagogue

Europe's largest synagogue in Moorish Revival style (1854–1859) – center of Jewish life in Budapest and a major Holocaust memorial site.

The Great Synagogue on Dohány Street is Europe's largest synagogue, seating nearly 3,000 worshippers, and one of Budapest's most striking religious landmarks. Designed by Viennese architect Ludwig Förster in the Moorish Revival style, it was built between 1854 and 1859 under the direction of Ignaz Wechselmann for the Neolog Jewish community of Pest – a Hungarian form of Reform Judaism. During World War II, the building served as the center of the Budapest Ghetto; more than 2,000 victims are buried in the adjacent cemetery. Today the complex combines the synagogue itself, a Jewish Museum, and a memorial garden featuring a weeping willow sculpture in memory of Hungarian Holocaust victims.