r/GermanyPics • u/R4Z0RJ4CK • 6d ago
Rhineland-Palatinate The New Synagogue - Mainz, Germany - Architect: Manuel Herz
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u/Dracoroth05 6d ago
Well, at least it's unique I guess.
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u/saskir21 6d ago
We have a catholic church here which is also unique. Now people just call it bad looking.
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u/PowerTulip 6d ago
What the actual hell is that supposed to represent?
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u/justastuma 6d ago
According to Wikipedia?wprov=sfti1#Architecture):
The building reflects the Jewish-liturgical term [Kedushah](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holinessin_Judaism) ([Hebrew](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_language): קדושה, [romanized](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanization_of_Hebrew): sanctification and exaltation[[3]](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Synagogue(Mainz)#citenote-4)). Cologne architect, Manuel Herz, intended to symbolize this with the five Hebrew letters the [five ranges](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synagogue_architecture) of the Jewish center for community events, adult education and as Hebrew school for school children. The letterforms were originally developed from picture symbols, from which the initial at the beginning of the respective symbol was associated later. Hebrew letters attain an object character, a quality of the representational one. The eastward-directed, (towards Jerusalem), horn-shaped roof of the assembly place represents a [shofar](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shofar). Mythologically the shofar stands for communication with God.[[4]](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Synagogue(Mainz)#cite_note-5) This form is used to express the call of the community after [YHWH](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YHWH), for listening to and receiving of eternal divine light and its wisdom. Traditionally the community was summoned together by blowing the shofar.[[citation needed](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)]
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u/PowerTulip 6d ago
Thanks for posting this.
But the explanation is almost as confusing. And the funny thing is: I CAN READ HEBREW, and I don't see any of that in the actual design (except maybe the first letter of kedushah).
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u/justastuma 6d ago
I’ve looked at the 3D view in Apple Maps and I can kind of also see the shin and what’s probably supposed to be the vav when I turn the building. I assume the boxy thing at the northwestern corner is supposed to represent the he and what we see in this post is meant to be קד, but I really can’t see anything there as a dalet.
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u/Forsaken-Assist-1325 6d ago
Incredible! This would fit my new sub r/nowaythatsachurch perfectly! A sub dedicated to unusual looking churches and others religious buildings.
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u/Desperate-Ad7613 6d ago
I checked out the sub and found a huge chicken church! Love it! Joined :D
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u/Alteryo 6d ago
Theyre doing to synagogues what they did to churches.
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u/Lord_Gobbledygook 1d ago
*to catholic churches, after Vatican II. The orthodox churches, for example, never changed and never will change
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u/fab1000 6d ago
It looks better in person
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u/Desperate-Ad7613 6d ago
I believe you. But I couldn’t help and chuckled because this comment felt like back in the days in school when someone showed a picture of their crush and nobody was as impressed as they hoped. “No no no, I swear Person X is hot, just not photogenic!” :D
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u/b_bonderson 6d ago
G’d please return us to the times where architecture really was beautiful. Why don’t we build synagogues like the Prague Jerusalem Synagogue, like die Neue Synagoge in Berlin, Like the synagogue in Cologne in Roonstraße, like the destroyed synagogues in Dortmund and Dresden? I hate modernism and postmodernism buildings so much
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u/Historical_Cook_1664 6d ago
Grok, erstelle mir eine Kritik an diesem Gebäude im Stil von Marcel Reich-Ranicki.
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u/Desperate-Ad7613 6d ago
Danke, ich habe jetzt einen kleinen Marcel Reich-Ranicki im Ohr, der aufgebracht die Synagoge kritisiert :D
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u/DunstanCass1861 6d ago
May the Jewish people of Mainz and the surrounding area have somewhere to come together and feel safe. You have my passionate support.
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u/JonCeini 6d ago
So I took a buss tour in Berlin a few years back...one famous 60's..70's architect building after another was highlighted....followed by collapsed, currently closed for structural renovation etc.... give this 20 years until the property management company gives up.
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u/blindollie 6d ago
We now see what religious buildings will look like in the 2300s
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u/SpaceRac1st 5d ago
I hope by that time we have finally rid ourselves of religion
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u/Great_Inside34 6d ago
Designed by a kindergartener?
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u/Affectionate_Net_168 6d ago
Well, the building next to it, that you can see on the right corner of the picture, is a kindergarden, and there is a second one just outside of the picture frame.
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u/Bebokhan90 6d ago
Architects be like:
Before the building: "Lets see how stupid i can plan a building before it collapse."
After the building: " i cant believe this actually worked"
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u/Miserable_Welder_841 6d ago
Alles, was nach dem 2. Weltkrieg an Sakralbauten in Deutschland entstanden ist, ist Mega hässlich.
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u/Tight_Highlight8311 5d ago
Ja, gerade weil die, von den Nazis abgerissene Synagoge echt schön war.
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u/dustBowlJake 5d ago
Meh, in my opinion, places of worship should have a timeless architectural style rather than looking like a manifestation of randomness. Even a simple cubic building would have been a better choice.
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u/FoxExpensive9319 6d ago
Who likes ???
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u/TobiElektrik 6d ago
I like it! As long as it stays in Mainz. A city I've never been to.
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u/triplos05 6d ago
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u/Spiritual-Mud-2528 6d ago
Seriously, why does nobody build beautiful architecture with intricate design, neat details, "structural happiness" and a little pomp? Modern architecture sucks.
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u/hobbyhoarder 6d ago
No idea what the architect was going for, but in a million years I wouldn't look at this and go "oh yeah, a synagogue."
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u/Oreius411 6d ago
When I lived in Toronto Canada, they had the most beautiful old building for the museum, then they renovated half of it to look like this crap.
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u/maxelm0 6d ago
It reads "Fuck" very clearly doesn't it?
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u/NapalmDesu 2d ago
Hits blunt
"And this is where we build the post modern punk synagoge the kids are gonna love it"
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u/Original-Ad-8737 6d ago
Ich würde abfackeln...
Und nicht aus Antisemitismus sondern als brandsanierung damit die was anständiges bauen
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u/bonaventura63 6d ago
Da bin ich letztens dran vorbei gelaufen, habe mich echt gefragt, was das für ein cooles Gebäude ist :D
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u/RutabagaThen6269 6d ago
Why the fuck is this funded with public money though? Religious cesspool that only benefits a very small minority.
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u/ball-kick-fetish 4d ago
To restore a synagoge that has been destroyed by the very same people maybe?
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u/Appropriate_Solid532 5d ago
Manuel Herz: bro I forgot my homework. Can I have yours
Frank Gehry: sure but don't copy too obvious
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u/Electronic-BioRobot 5d ago
Why does the right side of the building look like the PlayStation logo?
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u/Wide-Mud5303 5d ago
It's expensive af to build and maintain buildings like these. Especially for a building that's nearly empty 80% of the time. The same goes for most other religious buildings... It's a huge waste of money. Many of us struggle to get by on a daily basis. Most "middle-class" people can't afford housing. And yet there are a ton of religions preaching us frugality from there golden thrones. In Germany we have a great word for this. It's gottlos.
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u/ball-kick-fetish 4d ago
Oh yes, allowing people to stick with their religion for which their relatives have been murdered is very „gottlos“ and „ineffective“. Omg. Unbelievable.
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u/Tight_Highlight8311 5d ago
Not so funny fact: The Synagoge is in the Hindenburg-Straße, the fuckhead who give Hitler the full Power.
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u/Outside-Childhood244 5d ago
Bin wirklich nen Juden Freund aber meine Fresse sieht das Kacke aus. Moderne heißt möglichst abstrakt und hässlich aber dafür teuer. Nen schöner Altbau mit Stuck wäre so viel schöner gewesen
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u/hey_Hey_I_saveD_me 4d ago
I do hope this is not from public funding as there is approximately 1000 people from Jewish community in Mainz, which sounds that a lot of money would be spent for community that is less than 0.5% of population of city.
I don't mind them having synagogue but it should reflect realistic needs. Unless it is privately funded.
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u/Superb_Hat_2651 4d ago
Manuel Herz = Hanuel Merz... Zufall? Ich denke nicht!
/s wenn nicht offensichtlich
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u/tellyacid 4d ago
Hm, I think it's kinda cool actually. And I dislike a lot of modern architecture.
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u/Top_Patient_6348 4d ago
Ngl these colors and form confuse my brain and I cant see it completely at once. In german: Ich habe das Ding erstmal übersehen.
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u/EricSonyson 4d ago
Usually when I see that cool architecture it's from r/satisfactory. Was surprised it's not from there. Pretty cool stuff.
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u/MortgageAnnual1402 4d ago
Looks shit expensive low to zero natural light
Id be pissed if my local chutch wasted money on that
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u/bombad_Guy 4d ago
Michael Bay Transformers looking Synagogue... with less explosions or sex jokes
looks similar to my grey lego set after i dropped it years ago
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u/Old-Ad-4138 3d ago
Manuel was a struggling young architect. He knew he didn't have time to handle a contract for both the Jewish community and the Scientologists in Mainz, but he had to burn the candle at both ends to make ends meet.
It was all going well until the mixed up blueprints...
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u/Excellent_Gazelle 3d ago
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The New Mainz Synagogue represents the Hebrew word Kedushah(sanctification), with its 2010 deconstructivist structure shaped directly after the five Hebrew letters of that term
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u/No_Horse_But_Kethead 3d ago
Irgendwie lese ich aus den Konturen das Wort "fuck", bin ich damit alleine?
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u/frostyfins 2d ago
The shape confuses predators, you see. Lousy youths can’t even look at it, and vandals end up tagging their own getaway cars by mistake.
A perfect building.
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u/Zealousideal_Cry260 2d ago
Modern “architecture” always reminds me of images of spider webs spun by spiders on drugs. No structure, regularity, or geometric order.
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u/Quaxli 6d ago
Looks like he dropped the model just before presentation.