From 1960 to 1979—the period of the Wirtschaftswunder or “economic miracle”—the City of Essen exhibited chairs, fabrics, and lamps at the so-called “House of Industrial Form.” The women’s gallery and the Torah roll shrine are torn down and a false ceiling inserted, so that the cupola was no longer visible. A part of the city’s population was not satisfied with this and wished instead to establish a memorial. There were fierce debates in the press in Essen. The Essen Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation strove to give the building a sacred character again.
