Hainsfarth
Hainsfarth | |
---|---|
Location of Hainsfarth within Donau-Ries district | |
Donau-Ries | |
Government | |
• Mayor (2019–25) | Klaus Engelhardt[1] |
Area | |
• Total | 17.55 km2 (6.78 sq mi) |
Elevation | 445 m (1,460 ft) |
Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 1,435 |
• Density | 82/km2 (210/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 86744 |
Dialling codes | 09082 |
Vehicle registration | DON |
Website | www.hainsfarth.de |
Hainsfarth (Swabian: Hoasfarth) is a municipality in the district of Donau-Ries in Bavaria in Germany.
From as early as the 13th century until 1941, Hainsfarth was home to a sometimes large Jewish community, accounting for up to 40 percent of the village's population in 1810. From 1710 to 1938 the village also had a functioning
Jewish community
History
The oldest surviving record of Hainsfarth's Jewish history dates back to 1434, when the burial of a Jew from the village at the Jewish cemetery at Nördlingen was recorded. By 1480, four Jewish households are mentioned at Hainsfarth. In the late 16th century, this number may have fallen as low as three Jewish citizens living in the village, but it soon rose again to between seven and ten households. From 1741, Jews were arriving in Hainsfarth from Palatinate-Neuburg, where they had been evicted.[3][5]
The Jewish community did not have its own
By 1810 the village had a population of 1,142, of whom 452 were Jewish, almost 40 percent. After that, the number and percentage of Jews in Hainsfarth steadily declined. In 1871, when Bavaria became part of the German Empire, there were still 232 Jews in the village, but by 1910 there were only 91.[3]
Despite its decline, the community provided a selection of services to its members. Hainsfarth had a synagogue, a Jewish cemetery, a ritual bath and a religious school with a full-time teacher.[3]
During the
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Hainsfarth still had 34 members of the Jewish community living there. Some of them moved away or emigrated to escape the growing antisemitism but, in 1939, there were still 24 Jews in the village, reduced to eleven by 1941. On 10 August 1942 the
Synagogue
Originally the community would have only had a prayer room in one of the Jewish residences, but even before the
The synagogue served until 1938, when it was desecrated during the Kristallnacht. After the Second World War the synagogue was confiscated by the US military and handed over to the Jewish Restitution Successor Organization (JSRO), which sold the school in 1952. The former synagogue became a sports hall, first in the possession of the municipality of Hainsfarth, later sold to the Protestant church. For a time there were plans to convert it into a church, but this was never done. In 1978 it was repurchased by the municipality and the first plans for a restoration were made. With the help of the state government of Bavaria the building was preserved, renovated and reopened in 1996. It now mainly serves as a venue for cultural events but is open for visitors.[3]
Cemetery
The Jewish community in Hainsfarth originally buried their dead in the Jewish cemetery at Wallerstein. In 1836 the community started contemplating opening its own cemetery since a cholera epidemic in the region led to a temporary ban on transporting corpses. In 1849 the community purchased some land and in 1850 was granted the right to convert it into a cemetery. Altogether, 291 people were buried at the Hainsfarth Jewish cemetery.[4][5]
In 1938, the cemetery was desecrated just like the synagogue, with the grave stones and buildings being partly destroyed. The cemetery was sold in 1943 but confiscated by the US military in 1945. It was handed over to the JSRO and renovations were carried out, partly paid for by the municipality of Hainsfarth. The cemetery is now in private possession with the stipulation that it is cared for.[4][5][7]
References
- Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik, accessed 19 July 2021.
- ^ Genesis Online-Datenbank des Bayerischen Landesamtes für Statistik Tabelle 12411-003r Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes: Gemeinden, Stichtag (Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011) (Hilfe dazu).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hainsfarth (Landkreis Donau-Ries) - Jüdische Geschichte / Synagoge (in German) Alemannia Judaica, accessed: 20 December 2011
- ^ a b c Hainsfarth (Landkreis Donau-Ries) - Jüdischer Friedhof (in German) Alemannia Judaica, accessed: 20 December 2011
- ^ a b c Hainsfarth (in German) Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte, accessed: 20 December 2011
- ^ Für das Vaterland starben (in German) Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte, accessed: 20 December 2011
- ^ Jüdische Friedhöfe in Bayern (in German) Zentralarchiv zur Erforschung der Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland, accessed: 20 December 2011
External links
- Friends of the Hainsfarth Synagogue website (in German)