CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE

Built between 1862 and 1865, to plans by Viennese architect Ignaz Schumann, it features an eclectic style, using elements of Moorish architecture, in vogue at the time. Its facade, framed by two massive towers, is covered in exposed brick and ceramic tiles. The grandeur of the building is a reminder that, at the turn of the century, Timișoara had a very large Jewish population: it numbered over 12,000, compared with a few hundred today. Most emigrated to Israel under Ceaușescu.