Riga's synagogue is one of the few in occupied Europe that the Germans didn't destroy. They feared that dynamiting it would set the entire old city ablaze. Two generations later, anti-semitic terrorists bombed it, but it was rebuilt through a national and EU campaign. The other surviving art nouveau synagogue I know of is in Paris, in the Marais, designed by none other than Hector Guimard. The Germans didn't hesitate to destroy it, but the French rebuilt it after the war. It is perennially closed and under heavy security, so I don't expect ever to see its interior. I was determined to see Riga's building, however, and am pleased to post a few pix below. It is said to be art nouveau with neo-Egyptian references and flourishes. The architect was Wilhelm Neumann.
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| Unrelated art decos across the street |
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| Star of David drain pipe (click to enlarge) |
