In 1984 the owner of the construction in which the former Nentershausen Synagogue had
been housed, the gas station owner and master welder, Herbert Krause, received
permission to demolish the building, which had deteriorated to a dilapidated condition, and
also permission to build at a “convenient opportunity” new storage rooms. The father of
Herbert Krause had purchased the building, damaged on November 9, 1938 “the Night of
Broken Crystal”, together with the adjacent shepherd house, from the Nentershausen
Municipality and after demolishing the shepherd house he had converted the former
Synagogue into a garage, storage area and sheep stable. The granting of the demolition
permit was followed by an examination of the premises by the corresponding authorities,
with the result that the demolition permit was suspended. Considering the most recent
history of the building, maintenance of the construction as a Synagogue was no longer
feasible. Therefore, the Antiquities Authority and the League of Jewish Communities from
Hessen gave their consent for the dismantling of the building. It was decided that to
commemorate the town’s Jewish past, a memorial stone should be erected and that part
of the Thora-Shrine and part of the building ceiling with the painted Stars of David should
be transferred to the newly installed “Homeland and Mining Museum” (Heimat-und
Bergbaumuseum). However, it happened differently.
The former Synagogue
of Nentershausen in
1983 after the granting
of the demolition permit.
