Tablets of the Decalogue from the Rybné Square Synagogue

One of the few remaining artifacts from this former Neolog synagogue is the Decalogue from the façade of the building. The Neolog community was established by a secessionist group unhappy with conditions in the Orthodox community. In 1893 they constructed their synagogue on a square adjacent to St. Martin’s Cathedral, and it became a major landmark that was often depicted on postcards. The two-story Moorish building, designed by Dezső Milch, had a tri-partite facade with corner projections accentuated by two octagonal onion-domed towers. A Moorish arcade, superposed by an array of ornate windows, gave a rhythmical accent to the central portion, topped by a representation of the Decalogue. The sanctuary had a conventional interior arrangement with a women’s gallery supported by cast-iron columns. A community house adjoined the building on the northern side. After World War II, the synagogue was used as a television studio. One room was used by the architect Eugen Bárkány to store his Judaica collection, in the hope that the building would be used as a Jewish museum. Contrary to this vision, the synagogue was demolished in April 1969 to make way for the new bridge over the Danube River. Many Bratislava residents to this day consider this decision to have been a tragic loss to city’s heritage. The Holocaust memorial was built here in 1997. A temporary model of the synagogue was erected on the site in 2012. [MB]

Bratislava, 1893, sandstone
Height: 112.5 cm, width: 44 cm
ŽM-D 1634 A-48