Vienna’s historic Stadttempel has reopened its doors to the Jewish community following an extensive ten-and-a-half-month restoration project, marking the return of regular tefillos to one of the most significant centers of Jewish life in Austria.

The shul was reopened on September 9 with a Hachnasas Sefer Torah. Approximately 450 members of Vienna’s Jewish community accompanied the new Sefer Torah in a procession from Judenplatz to the Stadttempel on Seitenstettengasse before entering the restored shul. Mezuzos were subsequently affixed and the community gathered for tefillah.

The reopening comes as the Stadttempel marks its 200th anniversary. Built in the 1820s, it is today Austria’s largest synagogue and the only major Vienna synagogue to have survived the November 1938 pogroms and remained in continuous use afterward.

The €10.5 million restoration addressed both the historic character of the building and the needs of the present-day kehillah. Work included restoration of the bimah and other historic elements alongside improvements to fire protection, security, accessibility, climate systems and community infrastructure.

The project was financed through contributions from Austria’s federal government, the City of Vienna and private donors. According to the Jewish community, approximately 95 percent of the project's overall cost has been raised.

The reopening returns the kehillah to its historic spiritual center ahead of the shul's bicentennial observances, with a separate central 200th-anniversary ceremony scheduled for September 16.