The square is named after the old synagogue , which was destroyed during the Kristallnacht in 1938 . The synagogue had been built in 1869/1870 to the southwest of today 's location of the square . Since 2016 , there have been discussions to change the name to " '' Platz der Zerstörten Synagoge " ( Square of the Destroyed Synagogue ) '' . In July 2017 , the SPD parliamentary fraction submitted a corresponding request to the city mayor , Salomon . In contrast to him and the majority of the city council , the Jewish community opposed the renaming
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Platz der Alten Synagoge