Since 2003, the Blue House in Breisach is a memorial and educational site dedicated to the history of the Upper Rhine Valley's Jewish communities. Breisach is located on the French-German border and about 55 km north of the border with Switzerland.

The Blue House is a historical building, built before 1690, which was expertly renovated before opening to the public. It is known to have housed a Jewish school and later the apartment of the town's cantor and his family. In our exhibitions, the (hi)stories of Breisach's Jewish communities come to. We recount the times of friendly co-existence between Christian and Jewish inhabitants as well as times of conflict. From 1933 on the Jewish community suffered from increasing persecution under the Nazi dictatorship until the deportation of the remaining members of the community to the Camp de Gurs in South-Western France in October of 1940.

Three permanent exhibitions, regular events and educational programs intend to reach out to young people starting from second grade to university level. The Blue House is open to anyone interested to learn more about the history of the local Jewish communities. Descendants of Breisach Jewish families will find help in tracing their family histories. We are always trying to integrate their stories, voices and perspectives into Breisach's past and present.

For more than twenty years, the Blue House was run entirely through volunteer work. We are now assisted by several professionals.

Your support is highly appreciated and will help to widen our outreach. We see our work as part of an important and necessary effort of prevention of anti-Semitism and discrimination.
Permanent exhibitions:
JEWISH LIFE IN BREISACH 1931

AFTER THE SHOAH

GURS 1940 – The Deportation and Murder of the Jews of Southwestern Germany

Opening hours: Wednesdays and Sundays 2 p.m. - 5 p.m., except on public holidays, alternative visiting hours are possible by arrangement info@blaueshausbreisach.de The audio walking tour "Jewish Life in Breisach" can be downloaded to the app "Future History". Direct link to install the APP and to open the tour: HERE Peter Straub, President of the State Parliament of Baden-Wuerttemberg, stated in 2000:"We need living places of memory". This call was put into action by the Association for the Blue House ("Förderverein") when it purchased the former Jewish community center in Breisach with the aim to restore it and make it accessible for the town and its visitors. The authenticity of a site allows us to grasp history more vividly and to draw lessons from it. More than 700 years of Breisach history come alive within the walls of this house.

www.blaueshausbreisach.de