Synagoge Zwolle

Synagoge Zwolle stands in Zwolle, Netherlands, as a religious and cultural centre for the Jewish community. Its eclectic façade combines early seventeenth-century Dutch Renaissance forms with a large flamboyant Gothic window. F.C. Koch designed the building, while Isaac Gosschalk contributed to the initial façade sketches.

Jewish life in Zwolle has documented roots in 1721, after earlier restrictions on Jewish settlement changed. The community moved through De Munt and De Librije before opening this building in 1899. An adjoining structure contains a residence and serves as a winter synagogue alongside the main hall. The Second World War devastated the community, and restoration between 1984 and 1989 repaired the synagogue. The building hosts services, exhibitions, cultural events, and guided tours about Jewish life around Zwolle.

Inside, gold-coloured accents surround the windows against white walls, while orange cloth wraps the iron beams. The cloth may evoke desert tents and the symbolism of the tabernacle, according to a restoration interpretation. A Hebrew inscription on the façade invokes a house of prayer for all peoples.