Westhoffen synagogue

The Westhoffen synagogue dates from the 19th century, and was built in a neo-orientalist style to distinguish Jewish and Christian buildings. The bays and entrance portal are surmounted by horseshoe arches evoking Middle Eastern architecture. Westhoffen is home to an important Jewish heritage. The village was home to one of the region's largest communities, numbering almost 300 in the 18th century, as well as to such luminaries as Karl Marx, Léon Blum and Michel Debré. The village's first synagogue dates back to 1626, and since then two more have been built on the same site in 1760 and 1865. The building as a whole gives an impression of richness and grandeur in execution, typical of 19th-century village construction. The synagogue and its interior fittings have been listed on the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments since 1990. As the Jewish population moved to other towns, the building became disused. It was bought back and partly restored by the commune.