Portuguese Synagogue

In front of you is one of the great monuments of Jewish history in Europe. From the end of the 16th century, families of Portuguese and Spanish origin began to arrive in Amsterdam, many of them descendants of conversos who had been forced to practise their faith in secret. Here they could openly return to Judaism, and the community prospered through trade.

1A temple for a thriving community

The architect Elias Bouman directed the work, which began in 1671. The synagogue was inaugurated on 2 August 1675 and was then among the largest in the world. Its vast hall still has a floor covered in fine sand, an old Dutch custom, and it is still lit by candles: there is no electrical installation. The wooden benches are the originals and the Torah ark is made of jacaranda wood.

Within the complex is the Ets Haim library, founded in 1616 and listed by UNESCO on its Memory of the World Register. It was this community, though before this building existed, that expelled the philosopher Baruch Spinoza in 1656.

What is astonishing is not just its size, but that it is still standing and still in use.

2The war

During the Nazi occupation, most of Amsterdam's Jews were deported and murdered. The building survived and reopened after the war. In the square opposite, the Dockworker statue by Mari Andriessen commemorates the February Strike of 1941, when thousands of Amsterdammers stopped work in protest at the first raids against the Jews.

3What to look out for

• The tall windows, designed to fill the hall with natural light.
• The low buildings around the temple, which house the library and offices.
• The Dockworker statue, on Jonas Daniël Meijerplein.