Szegő Dóra - Szegő György: Synagogues - Our Budapest (Budapest, 2004)

Competitions for the Designs of a syangogue in Lipótváros, 1898-1906

bourgeoisie. The idea of a Jewish temple in Lipótváros began to take shape in the last third of the 19th century. The building was meant to be raised where the district court stood later, on a plot allotted by the Municipality, bordered by Szalay, Szemere, Markó and Koháry (today Nagy Ignác) streets. The community cited the dynamic growth of the local Jewry as a reason for the erection of a temple whose proportions would surpass the Dohány utca synagogue and challenge St Stephen’s Basilica. What in fact played a more significant part than the growth of the Jewish population in calling the plan into being was the fact that the new synagogue, intended to stand in the vicinity of the Parliament buildings under construction at the time, was meant to symbolise the emanci■ Béla Lajta'i design, 1899

pátion of the Jewish haut-bourgeoisie at the turn of the century. Enjoying full equality as a member of his community in the wake of the 1894 Law of Reception, the Jewish citizen wanted to come forth from behind the walls of his home and assert himself by building his central temple in an open public space.

The competitive designs would all have a centralised building with a huge dome in the middle. Announced in 1898, the competition attracted the preeminent architects of the period regardless of religious background. The jury included the foremost representatives of the various professional associations of Hungary's architects (Ignác Alpár, Alajos Hauszmann, Imre Steindl, Frigyes Schu51