At a press event on October 17 at the Vienna City Temple, the official start of the restoration work for Austria’s most significant synagogue was announced. The event centered around the presentation of an art project by Gottfried Helnwein, designed to support the restoration of the historic building.
After a brief welcome by Secretary-General Benjamin Nägele, Gottfried Helnwein introduced his project, which is dedicated to the children of the Jewish community—and thus to the future of Judaism in Austria.
Already in June, the artist had invited all children of the community to a casting at the Zwi Perez Chajes School. Ten of them were selected and photographed for the project. The portraits of these children were presented at the groundbreaking event. They symbolically represent the coming generations for whom the restoration is dedicated.
One of these children will be portrayed by Helnwein in a large-format painting, which will be shown for the first time in 2026—on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the City Temple—and subsequently auctioned by an international auction house in support of the restoration. The identity of the child portrayed will only be revealed at that presentation.
The painting will be mounted on wooden panels that were removed from the City Temple during the initial construction phase. During the press event, these panels were symbolically handed over to the artist.
At the press event marking the start of construction, Natalie Neubauer and Eric Tschaikner from the architectural firm KENH Architekten presented the plans for the restoration. The work aims to preserve the historical legacy of the building erected by Josef Kornhäusl while ensuring its structural future. The total cost of the project amounts to 10.5 million euros.
The Jewish Community of Vienna (Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien) invites everyone to contribute to the funding through donations. Further information and donation options can be found at www.stadttempel.at
