The Maribor Synagogue
The synagogue in Maribor is one of the oldest preserved synagogues in Europe and is located on the Židovski trg Square. Built in the 14th century it was first mentioned in 1429, but most probably it already existed before that which can be presumed on the basis of the tombstone of rabbi Abraham dated from 1379.
The synagogue was a religious, spiritual and cultural centre of the Jewish ghetto in the medieval Maribor and it was located in the south-east part of the walled city. A distinctive feature of the Maribor synagogue is the fact that there were always three or four seats reserved for Christian visitors.
The synagogue was a place for weddings, circumcisions, religious instruction while legal matters were also occasionally conducted there.
The synagogue was located on a small square on the present day Židovska ulica Street. To the east of it lay a garden where presumably the first Jewish cemetery was located. In the south-east corner behind the garden there was a city guard post - Židoski stolp (Jewish tower), which was built as a part of the city wall. Under the synagogue there was a ritual bath (Mikveh) and there was a path leading to it through the Judovska vrata (Jewish gates). In 1477, a construction of school (beth midrash) was mentioned.
After the expulsion of Jews in January 1497 their estates went into private ownership. Barbara and Bernardin Druckher bought the synagogue and also acquired most of the Jewish estates. They turned the synagogue into a Roman Catholic Church of All Saints.
At the end of the 18th century, the synagogue was rebuilt and the bell tower was removed. In 1811 the building was used as an army warehouse, but later it was sold again into private ownership and refurbished into a residential building.
In the 1980’s, the Maribor municipality turned the building into an art gallery. The synagogue thus become a cultural venue, especially after the year 2001, when it was operating under the Maribor Regional Museum. It acquired its current appearance and function in 2011 when it started to operate as an independent public institution the Jewish Cultural Heritage Synagogue Maribor. Today, the synagogue is a venue for various cultural events regarding Judaism and the Jewish culture.
THE JEWS IN MARIBOR
The Maribor Jewish community was one of the largest in Slovenia, while Maribor was a cultural and economic centre of Judaism in the inner Austrian regions of that time. The community flourished in the 15th century and around 300 Jews were living in the town and its surroundings. They were mainly involved in the business of loans, loaning money to rulers, noblemen, clergy, monasteries and townspeople as well. Due to overdue debts they became the owners of many houses, farms and vineyards in the area, which they sold relatively soon.
MEDIEVAL EXPULSION FROM MARIBOR
The general economic crisis in Europe brought about a fierce competition between Jewish and Christian merchants and the matters got even worse due to Turkish and Hungarian incursions. The Styrian and Corinthian estates demanded from the emperor Maximilian I to expel the Jewish community. The emperor gave in to the pressure and expelled Jews with a decree in 1496. The deadline for the departure was 6 January 1497. Following the expulsion, the Jews moved from Maribor to Vienna, Lower Austria, Sopron County in Hungary, Moravia, Poland, Trieste, Gorizia etc.
In their new places of residence many Jews named themselves after the towns they came from. Today, the surname Marpurgo is still very common in Italy, but can also be found in United States and Israel.
After the expulsion, the Jews returned to Maribor in 19th and 20th century and they were very active in the economic field, mainly in textile industry, where they were owners of factories or the managing staff and most of them belonged to the middle class.
Around 100 Jews were living in pre-war Maribor, but presumably they did not form their own community and did not have a synagogue. Due to the anti-Semitic measures within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Jews started to emigrate, but those who stayed were persecuted by the Nazis in April 1941.
THE FAMOUS RABBI
At the end of the 15th century one of the most interesting representatives of the Maribor’s Jews was active in Maribor – rabbi Israel Isserlin, who was known for his knowledge and wisdom well beyond the borders. His ruminations and decisions are still valid in today’s Jewish law. During the time he was active in Maribor, the Maribor synagogue occasionally served as seat of the Supreme Rabbinate of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola.
The text was collected and edited by: Eva Mataln
Translation: Maja Miklavc & Miha Oda
Photos: Igor Unuk
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