Following Jewish footsteps
through medieval Rothenburg

Second Synagogue

The second synagogue on the site that is now Schrannenplatz, the former Jewish cemetery, pen-and-ink drawing from around 1520.

Source: BSB München (Cgm. 7879 fol. 104-105)

The site now called Schrannenplatz used to be the cemetery of Rothenburg's Jewish community in the years after 1500. Even though there are no headstones to be found anymore, the site of the graves is still meant to be for eternity according to the Jewish faith. This final resting place is situated between the first wall and the second town expansion in direct vicinity of the Judengasse (Jews' Lane). Today the site of the former cemetery is a city centre car park, whose name was changed from Judenkirchhof to Schrannenplatz around 1950. In medieval times this was the site of the second synagogue of the town's Jewish community. Along with the community's displacement in 1521, Jewish life died down completely until it started again in the 19th century.

The headstones were supposedly taken down as far back as the 17th century, when the site of the Schrannenplatz was used as a bell-foundry. Around 1900 they were transferred to Saint Blaise's Chapel to become exhibits in a lapidarium.

Since 1980 all of the headstones discovered so far have been catalogued and their inscriptions have been translated. A selection of these headstones, including the oldest one, is displayed at the RothenburgMuseum of Rothenburg (Klosterhof).