What is Old Synagogue (Erfurt)?
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}} {{Infobox religious building |building_name=Old Synagogue, Erfurt |image=Alte Synagoge Erfurt.JPG |caption= |location=[[Erfurt]] | country = Germany | map_type = Germany | coordinates={{Coord|50|58|43.06|N|11|1|45.43|E|type:landmark|display=inline,title}} |religious_affiliation=[[Judaism]] |rite=[[Nusach Ashkenaz]] |functional_status=Museum |leadership= |website=[http://juedisches-leben.erfurt.de/jl/en/middle-ages/old_synagogue/index.html Old Synagogue, Erfurt] |architecture_type=[[Synagogue]] |architecture_style=[[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] |groundbreaking= |year_completed= |consecration_year= |construction_cost= |architect= |capacity= |length= |width= |width_nave= |facade_direction= |height_max= |materials= }} The '''Old Synagogue''' (German:''Alte Synagoge'') in [[Erfurt]], in central [[Germany]], is one of the best preserved medieval [[synagogue]]s in Europe. The oldest parts were built in the late 11th century. Most parts of the building are from around 1250 to 1320. In 2015 it was proposed as a [[World Heritage Site]].<ref name=unesco>Permanent Delegation of Germany to UNESCO (2015) [http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5982/ Old synagogue and Mikveh in Erfurt - UNESCO world heritage centre]. Retrieved 4 June 2017</ref> It has been a museum of local [[Jewish history]] since 2009. The Erfurt Treasure is kept there. This is a collection of [[medieval]] coins, jewellery and metalwork found in 1998. The museum also has copies of the Erfurt Hebrew [[Manuscripts]]. This is a collection of rare religious manuscripts that belonged to the Jewish community of Erfurt in the [[middle ages]].<ref name=et>[http://juedisches-leben.erfurt.de/jl/en/middle-ages/erfurt_treasure/index.html Jewish life in Erfurt. Erfurt Treasure]. Retrieved 3 June 2017</ref><ref name=hebrewman>[http://juedisches-leben.erfurt.de/jl/en/middle-ages/hebrew_manuscripts/index.html Jewish life in Erfurt. Erfurt Hebrew Manuscripts]. Retrieved 4 June 2017</ref> ==History and preservation== The oldest