WAGNER, Otto
(b. 1841, Penzing, d. 1918, Wien)

Synagogue: façade

1869-72
Photo
Rumbach utca, Budapest

Far from being eclectic, Wagner's earliest executed works display an inner unity deriving from the use of a common basic form underlying the planning and detailed design. The outwardly Moorish-style Synagogue in Budapest, for example, is based on the octagon, which is reflected in the façade towers and details, the shape of the hall and windows, and even the candlesticks and candelabra.

The Rumbach Street synagogue in the inner city of the historical old town of Pest was built to serve the more conservative members of the Neológ community of Pest.

The recently restored octagonal, balconied, domed synagogue is intricately patterned and painted in Islamic style. It was built not as a replica of, but as a homage to the style of the octagonal, domed Dome of the Rock Muslim shrine in Jerusalem.