project information

Of the gravestones from the Jewish cemetery, which was dissolved in the 16th century, 51 gravestones and fragments from the years 1144 to 1407 have been recovered so far. They have survived the times as spolia and gradually came to light in the course of the last centuries. They were rediscovered during demolition or renovation work on houses or bridges - most recently in the 1960s. Today, most of them are stored in the stacks of the Historical Museum of the Palatinate in Speyer. Some of the important grave stelae are presented in the SchPIRA Museum, which opened in 2010. The inscriptions were published in the 1940s by Rabbi Adolf Kober and again in the 1960s by the theologian Eugen Rapp. As part of the preparations for the recognition of the SCHUM cities as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the gravestones were photographed again on behalf of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Directorate of State Monument Preservation (Laura Augustin), described in terms of art history (Tina Fuchs-Maul, Institute for European Art History at the University of Heidelberg) and scientifically processed according to today's epigraphic knowledge and methods (Dan Bondy, Steinheim Institute Duisburg). The results are generally accessible

image documentation

• Augustin, Laura
• Historisches Museum Speyer
• Mel Hubach