The cantor's house

The former house of the Jewish cantor is the seat of the municipal community work Rastatt-West and also houses a documentation room on the Jewish history of Rastatt. The cantor's house is a branch of the city museum. Further information on Jewish life in Rastatt

The cantor's house, which was built in 1906 together with the neighboring synagogue, was home to the teacher and cantor of the Jewish community. In contrast to the synagogue, the elegant Art Nouveau building designed by the architect Ludwig Levi was spared from the destruction in 1938. in 2010 it was extensively renovated and the documentation room was established.

Time after 1900

The temporal focus of the documentation on Jewish history is on the years after 1900, when Jewish businesses contributed significantly to Rastatt's prosperity as a result of the demolition of the former federal fortress. A topographical overview shows the location of houses and properties of Jewish owners in the city area. It illustrates the presence and, until the late 1920s, successful integration of Jews in Rastatt. This illustrates the extent as well as the tragedy of the discrimination and extermination of the Jewish community.

Agitation, flight and mass murder

Attacks and targeted smear campaigns against Jewish citizens began in Rastatt at the beginning of the 1930s. Until 1939, a part of the Rastatt Jews managed to emigrate, mostly to France, the USA or Palestine. A media installation in the exhibition illustrates that it was not possible for a part of the Rastatt Jews to leave the city. On October 22, 1940, they were deported in an organized mass transport to the Gurs internment camp in southern France, thus wiping out Rastatt's Jewish community.