Neupfarrplatz and Jewish Memory
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Transcript
Neupfarrplatz occupies part of Regensburg’s medieval Jewish quarter. A substantial Jewish community lived here until 1519, when the city expelled its Jews after the death of Emperor Maximilian I.
The synagogue was destroyed and a Christian pilgrimage chapel was promoted on the site. Later the present Neupfarrkirche developed.
Archaeology has exposed remains of the medieval quarter, and Dani Karavan’s white stone memorial outlines the synagogue footprint.
This history prevents the intact old town from becoming a story of harmonious continuity. Physical buildings can survive while communities are forcibly erased.
Regensburg’s survival through the twentieth century is remarkable. The square reminds us that destruction also happened in earlier centuries, sometimes through legal decree rather than aerial bombing.