Heilige Barbara

Historic city church with tower. Damaged by fire in 1654, restored except for the spire.

The synagogue was built next to an older synagogue which dated back to 1791. The new synagogue was consecrated in 1868. The design of the building was executed in an early Neo-Gothic style in which the the Gothic features were purely ornamental and not structure-related. The Neo-Gothic elements include the plastered octagonal pilasters topped by pinnacles, the rounded frieze and the ornamental door and window frames. The pointed arched windows contain iron-cast tracery. A Hebrew inscription is located above the main entrance and refers to Isaiah 56:7 and the date. The structural expansion at the back side of the building was used as the location for the Torah ark and is still recognizable as such from the outside. The women's gallery is still present in the assembly hall. The Jewish community of Culemborg meerged with Utrecht in the year 1947. Three years later, the building was redeveloped as a Christian Reformed church. In 1981/82, the building was renovated by the architect H. K. J. van der Wielen.

Neo-Gothic synagogue. From 1950 to 1983 Reformed Church (Liberated), then Dutch Reformed Church. The building of the Dutch Reformed Church was built as a synagogue and dates from 1868. The Jewish community in Culemborg grew to around 200 members at the end of the 19th century. This made the construction of a house of prayer necessary. The synagogue was built in neo-Gothic style. Characteristic are the 3 pinnacles on the front facade and the pointed arch windows. The old synagogue, housed in an abbey right next to the new synagogue, was converted into a mikveh (bathhouse) and religious school. All these Jewish institutions ensured that the street on which they were located soon became known as Jodenkerkstraat, a name it still has today.