New Synagogue (Mainz)
The New Synagogue of Mainz is in use since 2010 as a community center at the location of the former main synagogue on the Hindenburgstraße of Mainz . Due to controversial discussions regarding the street name, the location in the Hindenburgstraße was renamed as Synagogenplatz (Synagogue square). Initial position and planning Mainz, known to the Jews as , was an important Jewish centre on the Rhine and has had impressive synagogues for many centuries. The Kristallnacht of 1938 ended this tradition. After the Second World War, the remains and premises of Mainz synagogues accommodated only a small group of returned community members. Before the fall of the Berlin wall the community had a mere 140 citizens in total. In the 1990s, a large number of immigrants from Eastern Europe grew the community and new space was required. By December 2006, the community had grown to number 1,050 members. In 1999, there was a competition to design a new synagogue building and a Jewish community centre. The winner was architect Manuel Herz. The estimated cost was approximately €11 million (euro) and the city of Mainz gave assurances it would contribute €3.5 million. The financing model outlined that the city, Rhineland-Palatinate, and