Destroyed on Kristallnacht, 1938, the Roonstrasse Synagogue was rebuilt in the nineteen fifties.

Destroyed on November 9, 1938 during nation-wide attacks on Jewish interests (Kristallnacht),when Germany was under Nazi rule, the Roonstrasse Synagogue was subsequently rebuilt during the 1950s. The Synagogue building currently serves as the center of Jewish community of Cologne, including a community center, a small display of items associated with Cologne Jewish history, and a kosher restaurant.

Cologne was the first place Jews settled in Germany (in Roman times) and it has a huge amount of Jewish history.

On August 19, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI visited Roonstrasse Synagogue. This visit was the second ever visit to any synagogue by any one of the Popes. In his address there, he condemned nazism and antisemitism.