Budapest is a beautiful city with a rich and diverse heritage. It is popular for its thermal baths, its architecture and benefits from a unique geographical location at the crossroads of Western and Eastern European cultures. Budapest has an extensive Jewish history dating back to the medieval period when Hungarian Jews settled in what is now Hungary.
Tourists can learn about this history by visiting synagogues, museums, monuments and other landmarks such as the Dohany Street Synagogue (the largest synagogue in Europe) and the Jewish Memorial Park Kerepesi Cemetery (which contains the oldest grave in Europe). As you can see, there is no shortage of things to see in this great city, so there is nothing better than discovering it all with the professional guidance of the tours we offer here at GuruWalk.
Budapest's Jewish Quarter was once a Jewish ghetto and is home to the Dohany Street Synagogue which is one of the few remaining synagogues in Budapest.
The synagogue opened its doors to worshippers and visitors in 1859, after it was consecrated by Rabbi Benjamin Kahan. It was designed by Jakab Fellner and built with funds from Baron Fülöp Wesselényi, a prominent Hungarian Jewish philanthropist.
The central prayer hall seats 2000 people on two levels, with galleries on four sides; there are also classrooms and offices upstairs. There is also an adjacent school building containing classrooms for religious instruction, as well as a large library mainly in Yiddish with some books in Hebrew. The Hungarian Jewish Museum is also located inside the synagogue.
Budapest's Jewish cemetery is also a popular tourist attraction that has experienced a surge in visitors after the Holocaust memorial was established, attracting more than 350,000 tourists.
The Kerepesi Memorial Park Jewish Cemetery was established in 1883 and is considered one of the most important cemeteries in Budapest. It was the first public Jewish cemetery in Hungary and is still used as such today.
Wealthy Jews were often buried here and it has become a tourist attraction for Budapest.