For the Love of the City. Exploring the Jewish Heritage of Wrocław
During this event, we will examine a particular dimension of love – love for the city, expressed through the study, preservation, and popularisation of its history.
The lecture will explore both historical and contemporary research on the Jewish heritage of Wrocław, as well as the thread that connects them. The starting point will be the figure of Alfred Grotte – an architect, researcher of synagogues, and scholar of medieval Jewish history and architecture in Wrocław, as well as one of the founders of the pre-war Jewish Museum in the city. Grotte was among the first to systematically document the Jewish heritage of Silesia, without knowing that it would soon become evidence of a destroyed culture. His academic work was cut short by the Holocaust – in 1943 he was murdered in Theresienstadt.
Today, his legacy continues. Archaeological research conducted by the Bente Kahan Foundation in the area of the former Jewish quarter has led to discoveries that Grotte himself could only have anticipated – fragments of a medieval synagogue that lay hidden beneath the surface of the city for centuries. The event will also include a presentation of a forthcoming publication on the synagogues of Lower Silesia, prepared by the Foundation. The book edited by Jerzy Kos, scheduled for publication in 2026, will summarise many years of research on the Jewish architecture of the region – and mark another step in the same, more than century-long effort to restore memory.
This is a story about the passion of researchers, the care for heritage, and love for Wrocław – expressed through the continuous rediscovery and restoration of its Jewish history

The lecture will be held in Polish with English subtitles.