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JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000022

First Synagogue to Receive the European Heritage Label

Record holder

Dohány Street Synagogue ComplexPlace

Record value

First synagogue formally designated as a European Heritage Label site

Holder country: HungaryAchievement location: Budapest, HungaryAchievement date: 1 March 2018Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Interior and fixed seating of Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest

Principal sanctuary interior of Dohány Street Synagogue, photographed 3 August 2022.Jgrec4 / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 4.0

Official record definition

The first synagogue complex formally designated by the European Commission as a European Heritage Label site under the EU European Heritage Label action.

Measurement methodology

European Commission designation chronology and synagogue-site counter-search

Measurement point: Dohány Street Synagogue Complex, Budapest

Record story

The Dohány Street Synagogue Complex in Budapest became the first synagogue to be formally designated as a European Heritage Label site on 1 March 2018. The European Commission’s decision to add the complex to the list followed its selection by an independent panel in 2017. The distinction as the first synagogue to receive the label was explicitly reported by the European Jewish Congress, while the World Jewish Congress described it as the first Jewish site to be granted European Heritage recognition. A review of prior designations found no synagogues among them.

The complex includes the Great Synagogue, built between 1854 and 1859, the Jewish Museum and archives, a Holocaust-era cemetery garden, and the Wallenberg Memorial Park. In its official description of the site, the European Commission highlights the complex as a symbol of integration, remembrance, and openness to dialogue.

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
31 August 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

The European Commission formally decided on 1 March 2018 to add the Dohány Street Synagogue Complex in Budapest to the European Heritage Label list, following the independent panel's 2017 selection. The Commission's dedicated site page continues to list the complex as a European Heritage Label site.

Superiority evidence

European Jewish Congress explicitly reported that Dohány was the first synagogue to receive the European Heritage Label. World Jewish Congress independently described it as the first Jewish site granted European Heritage recognition. Review of the earlier European Heritage Label chronology found no synagogue among prior designated sites.

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • Commission decides to give the European Heritage Label to nine heritage sites — European Commission
  • Dohány Street Synagogue Complex, Hungary — European Commission - Culture and Creativity

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Budapest’s Dohany Street Synagogue receives European heritage status — European Jewish Congress
  • Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest wins recognition with European Heritage title — World Jewish Congress

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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