Jordanhaus

The "Jordanhaus" on Judenplatz is one the oldest buildings of Vienna. In the Middle Ages Judenplatz was the center of Jewish life. In 1420 Duke Albert V ordered the imprisonment and forcible conversion of the Jews. Those that had not converted or escaped were sent off in boats down the Danube, while wealthy Jews remained under arrest, several of them tortured and stripped of their property. On March 12, 1421 Albert sentenced the remaining Jews to death and their synagogue was demolished. The inscription on the façade of the "Jordanhaus" refers to these dramatic incidents.