Hidden in a concrete cocoon

Dr Thomas Schuler

In February 2022, the Saxony State Office for Archaeology found a Jewish immersion bath for cleansing - a so-called mikvah - on the area between Augustusburger Straße and Theresenstraße.

Shortly afterwards, the Mikveh Working Group was founded: an association of committed citizens and scientists. Their aim is not only to preserve and research the mikvah, but also to make it accessible to the public. On Open Monument Day on 10 September, a special exhibition on the Chemnitz mikvah will be opened in the town hall. In the Macher der Woche interview, Dr Thomas Schuler from the AG Mikwe explains why the Chemnitz find is so important and what guests can expect from the exhibition.

What is so special about the Chemnitz find?

Dr Thomas Schuler: Over a year ago, a well was found in the basement - still half in the groundwater - and we discovered that it was a Jewish mikvah. A cleansing bath. It is striking that the find dates from a time when there were officially no Jews in Chemnitz. The well cannot be dated any further. It can be dated fairly reliably between the 16th and 18th centuries. But there were no Jews in Chemnitz during this period. This is of course a mystery and a challenge for historians as to why such a mikvah was built in Chemnitz if Jews were not allowed to settle in Chemnitz and the whole of Saxony at that time. It is the first and only mikvah in Saxony dating back to the Middle Ages and early modern period. It is therefore a find that is of great significance not only for Chemnitz, but also for Saxony.

What is the current status of the mikvah?

That is a problem. The current state of the mikvah is that it is hidden. That makes sense when you see the construction work that is currently taking place above it. The mikvah has to be protected. It has been carefully enclosed and will remain so for a few more years. We have to keep an eye on it for the time being because the mikvah is made of brick and simple mortar. The archaeologists are very concerned that if the mikvah is presented to the public too soon, there is an incalculable risk that it will be destroyed within a generation.

What measures were taken to protect the mikvah?

The enclosure was made so that it is open at the bottom. This means that the groundwater can continue to penetrate, because that's what it's designed for. First of all, a filling mortar was simply poured in, which archaeologists always use and which is very easy to remove but acts as a buffer. The mortar hardens and then almost nothing can happen. A stable concrete cocoon has been created around this filling, which is completely closed on all sides, except at the bottom. We now have to see how the groundwater level settles, changes or rises. There are measuring probes inside that can track exactly what is happening. The mikvah will therefore be under strict observation for the next five to ten years.

You took samples before the backfilling and started to analyse them. What is the current status of the analysis?

This question comes a little too early. The excavator is currently working on the analysis in Dresden. So we don't know yet, but word has already got round: For example, that the basin of the mikvah has at least two construction phases. That it was plastered, with a light-coloured plaster, that there was a vault above it. It is an elaborate room, which is fitting for a basement mikvah.

The website of the AG Mikwe states that the groundwater came from the Gablenzbach. But there is no stream to be seen anywhere near Johannisplatz.

(laughs) It's still there. The Gablenzbach runs through a pipe right in front of the mikvah. You just can't see it. It was enclosed around 1880, so it flows in the vault. It is crucial for the mikvah that it is only a few metres away from the Gablenz. This means it is well supplied with groundwater.

How did the AG Mikwe come about?

It goes back to an initiative of the "Reitbahn-Viertel citizens' initiative". They wanted someone to look after the mikvah from the Chemnitz side as well as the State Office for Archaeology and put together an interdisciplinary working group - in other words, experts from various fields. In January, we formally established a Mikveh Chemnitz working group and are monitoring the mikveh in close coordination with the State Office. Of course, the main responsibility for its condition lies with the State Office for Archaeology.

What happens now? You have set yourself the task of presenting the mikvah to the public at some point.

That is our challenge and why this AG Mikwe in Chemnitz is really necessary. We have various projects. For example, we want to realise a tactile model of the Johannisvorstadt including the mikvah. The planning is already at an advanced stage. The model is to be placed in the newly built streets of the neighbourhood or in a building accessible to the public. When the Johannisviertel is completely rebuilt, the old neighbourhood will be remembered. We want to show the situation in the first half of the 19th century, when there were still city walls and the Gablenz was open. It should be ready for the Capital of Culture in March 2025, and we also want to place an information stele there with background information and explanations about the model. That's our idea: a combination of digital information and a tactile model for the blind. The State Office will be organising an exhibition on the Open Monument Day. We are endeavouring to keep the mikvah in people's consciousness.

What can visitors see in the exhibition about the mikvah?

There will be a 3D model of the mikvah on a scale of 1:20 on display, as well as the discovery situation and drawings - in other words, a wide range of documentation. The focus will be on the beautiful 3D model, which is made of paper and corresponds exactly to the mikvah in terms of colour. The individual find locations, for example, can be read off the model. It is not a plastic model, but an elaborate model made of wafer-thin paper.