Edition 2 of the architecture walk already, time goes fast 😉 This time we put the Dutch Synagogue in the spotlight, a beautiful hidden building located in the Bouwmeestersstraat, right behind the Royal Museum of Fine Arts.

The Synagogue Shomré Hadas was commissioned in the early 19th century by descendants from Dutch Jews who came from the Netherlands to Antwerp. It was the first large orthodox synagogue in the city, designed by architects Joseph Hertogs and Ernest Stordiau in a Neo-Moorish style. The building was inaugurated in 1893 on the eve of Rosh Hashanah which is the Jewish New Year. During World War II the synagogue was severely damaged but luckily it got renovated in 1958 and since 1976 it’s a protected monument. Nowadays it’s only used during Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur (day of atonement) and for marriages.

 

 

I pass by the Dutch Synagogue several times a week since it’s on my way home. It always caught my attention but I never did any effort to find out what was the story behind the building and until last week I thought it was just another pretty church (forget that I told you this, it’s embarrassing). These architecture walks really are a good thing… I’ve been living in Antwerp the past 12 years and I still discover new things.

 

Wearing: jacket – H&M, jeans – ACNE, knit – AMERICAN VINTAGE, heels – ZARA, sunglasses – CELINE

Pictures by Ilja Sura Changlor Smets