Wednesday 20 May 2015

Bethaus At Altes AKH University In Vienna

There's a small, post-modern Jewish prayer house on the campus at Atles university in Vienna, just an understated structure among the many academic buildings and quads that make up the urban campus.

Of course, its history is anything but understated. The prayer house was built in 1903, for use by patients at what was then a hospital. The Nazis showed up in 1938 and tore the building down. By the 1970s, a restoration was started or, more accurately, re-imagined. The prayer house wasn't rebuilt as it once was. The new version is a combination of modern architecture, history and original use.

Bethaus, today.


Views of the interior. The transparent sections reveal information about the design of the original building and what the old roof looked like.

Outside, there's more information. A timeline is in the front sidewalk and measurements are around the structure, perhaps highlighting the original footprint of Bethaus.

No comments:

Post a Comment