Sofia Synagogue
Sofia Synagogue features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Sofia. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type religious
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Sofia Sofia guide
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About Sofia Synagogue
The largest synagogue in southeastern Europe, a sumptuous Moorish-style temple of 1909 built for Sofia's Sephardic Jews, hung with a vast brass chandelier under a starry vault.
The Sofia Synagogue is the largest synagogue in southeastern Europe and one of the largest in Europe, built for the capital's mainly Sephardic Jewish community. Designed by the Austrian architect Friedrich Grünanger, and modelled on a famous Moorish-style temple in Vienna, it opened in 1909 in the presence of King Ferdinand I. Its style blends Moorish and Byzantine revival with touches of the Vienna Secession.
Beneath an octagonal dome, the prayer hall glows with columns of Carrara marble, Venetian mosaics and a blue, star-spangled vault, lit by a great brass chandelier weighing about one and a half tonnes, the largest in Bulgaria. The hall could hold more than a thousand worshippers, though today's community is small. The building also houses the Jewish Museum of History, which tells of Bulgaria's Jews and the rescue of almost all of them during the Second World War.
Did you know? The Sofia Synagogue is the largest synagogue in southeastern Europe, built for the capital's mainly Sephardic Jewish community; designed by the Austrian architect Friedrich Grünanger, it opened in 1909 in the presence of King Ferdinand I.
How long is a visit to Sofia Synagogue?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for Sofia Synagogue. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Sofia Synagogue worth your time?
Sofia Synagogue is among the 13 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Sofia, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Sofia
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Sofia Synagogue and read more:
Day 1 of the Sofia in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Sofia Synagogue
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