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Books and Book Editorships:

B. Martens, H. Peter:
"The Destroyed Synagogues of Vienna - Virtual city walks";
Lit-Verlag Münster, Wien, 2011, ISBN: 978-3-643-90170-5; 256 pages.



English abstract:
This book is devoted to the former Viennese synagogues that were destroyed by the National Socialists and thus disappeared irretrievably from the face of the city. They leave behind them gaps in the city in the same way that those who used to attend them and were murdered or driven into exile left a gap in society, in urban life, and in Viennese culture. Using the most modern technical means the authors enable readers to gain an impression of and to grasp, in both real and virtual terms, a world that has been annihilated.

This richly illustrated architecture guide recounts the history of the construction and destruction of 21 Viennese synagogues. With the help of CAD (computer-aided design) and rapid prototyping a working group based around the two authors was able to virtually rebuild the destroyed synagogues and to present them in their former glory.
In this guide old photographs and plans from the time these synagogues were built are contrasted with the virtual reconstructions. Together with the accompanying texts they provide a complete image of the individual houses of prayer. Of particular interest are the recreations of the urban fabric that place the destroyed synagogues in the context of the present-day city, in this way allowing the invisible to be seen once again.


Electronic version of the publication:
http://www.lit-verlag.de/isbn/3-643-90170-5


Created from the Publication Database of the Vienna University of Technology.