Cologne-Muellheim (Köln / Koeln)
General information: First Jewish presence: 1424; peak Jewish population: 200 in 1930; Jewish population in 1933: unknown
Summary: Although Jewish families, many of whom were fleeing
persecution in nearby Deutz, settled in Muellheim well
before the establishment of the official Jewish community
there in 1825, it was not until the end of the 19th century
that the town’s Jewish population experienced significant
growth. We also know that, in 1903, the Muellheim Jewish
community was affiliated with that of Cologne.
Records indicate that Muellheim’s synagogue was
damaged by flooding in 1784, not long after which, in
1788/89, a new synagogue and adjacent classrooms were
built in the area.
On Pogrom Night, rioters destroyed the synagogue and
school buildings. Although the municipality eventually
appropriated the site, it was returned to the Jewish Trust
Corporation in 1954. At the site, which now accommodates
a new apartment building, a plaque commemorates the
Jewish community.
Author / Sources: Harold Slutzkin
Source: SG-NRW
Source: SG-NRW
Located in: north-rhine-westphalia