Esztergom Synagogue

The Esztergom Synagogue is a former Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the town of Esztergom, Hungary. The synagogue was built in 1859, renovated in 1888, and severely damaged by a bombing during World War II. Since almost all Jewish people in the town were deported during the Holocaust and Communists subsequently gained control of the country, the building has not been used for religious purposes since the 1940s. The synagogue continued to deteriorate until 1962, when the city council bought it from the National Office of the Hungarian Israelites, according to contemporary historian, János Németh. It was later rebuilt and inaugurated as the House of Technology (Technika Háza) on September 28, 1964. However, another source states that in 1981 it became the House of Technology after repair work was done between 1980 and 1981 that "involved a strong simplification of the exterior" and "a complete transformation of the interior." Németh claims that many government members and skilled volunteers worked to rebuild Esztergom Synagogue between 1963 and 1964. On September 28, 1964, it was inaugurated as the House of Technology and became the home of the city's Organization of Technical and Natural Science Associations (MTESZ), which was founded on the same day. In 2006, it was bought by the municipality and used as a cultural center.