Szlaki województw śląskiego i opolskiego

The obelisk at the corner of Piastowska and Barlickiego streets in Opolecommemorates the destruction of the New Synagogue standing in this place. This event took place during Kristallnacht, when mass pogroms of the Jewish community occurred in German cities. On the night of November 9/10, 1938, in Opole, the Nazis destroyed not only the synagogue but also buildings of Jewish organizations, shops, and houses. The ruins of the burned synagogue were dismantled until April 1939. Currently, a nursery building stands on the site of the former synagogue. The boulder is decorated with a plaque in the shape of a matzevah designed in 1998 by the Opole architect Florian Jesionowski with the Star of David and inscriptions in Polish, Hebrew, and German: "They have cast fire into thy sanctuary. In this place stood the synagogue burned by the Nazis during the Crystal Night 9 XI 1938. People will not forget this." Next to the obelisk is a plaque that commemorates Leo Baeck, the first rabbi of the new synagogue in Opole. In 1943, he was deported to the German concentration camp in Theresienstadt, and after World War II he was appointed president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Practical information: The facility is generally accessible. Paid parking across from Torpol, in the vicinity of the amphitheater.