Door by door: two cultures, side-by-side

Doppeltür brings a special chapter of history to the present day: when Jews and Christians lived side-by-side in Surbtal, in the Swiss canton of Aargau.

This project encourages engagement with this unique history in many different ways – an appeal to explore the Surbtal’s architectural and cultural features, and a tribute to a past that continues to shape our societies today.

With the centre in Lengnau (scheduled to open in 2028), the mikveh in Endingen, the Jewish Cultural Trail, and comprehensive educational materials for schools, Doppeltür is building bridges between yesterday, today and tomorrow.

News

Ground-breaking ceremony – here we go!

More than 100 people attended the ground-breaking ceremony for the Doppeltür Centre in Lengnau on 26 March 2026 – alongside former Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard and Cantonal Councillor Dieter Egli. The extensive renovation work is now set to begin.

Opening

The Jewish-Christian history of the Surb Valley is unique. Opening in 2028, the Doppeltür Center in Lengnau will be a place where visitors can experience this history firsthand. Come by and take part in numerous events.

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Offer

Cultural Trail

Mikwe

Center

Teaching

Program

04.05.
2026

Event

General meeting of the association Doppeltür

This year’s Annual General Meeting of the Doppeltür Association will take place on 4 May 2026 at the Historical Museum in Baden. Members will receive further details with their invitation.

All events

«Without a doubt, double-door houses are a hallmark of the Jewish-Christian history of the Surbtal. They have become a metaphor for how people of different ethnic groups and religions can live together. This has repercussions far beyond our country’s borders.»

Roy Oppenheim†, publicist and co-initiator of the Doppeltür project

«I fully agree with former Federal Council member Ruth Dreifuss, that we must strive to promote peace between religions, even if success if not immediately visible. And that’s how I see the Doppeltür project, as a project of hope!»

Ellen Ringier†, publisher and philanthropist

Pressebild charleslewinsky cfoto maurice haas diogenes verlag 72dpi Kopie

«Little of my Surbtal ancestry remains. Of course, I knew from my family history that we were from Endingen and not Lengnau. My grandmother insisted on this distinction. There must have once existed a loving, sibling rivalry between the two old Jewish villages, something like the rivalry between Zurich and Basel.»

Charles Lewinsky, author

«To me, the Doppeltür educational projects embodies Christian-Jewish dialogue and actively expresses it. In so doing, it sets an important example and provides an opportunity to highlight the historical and architectural heritage of the Christian-Jewish past.»

Alex Hürzeler, former member of the Aargau Canton Executive Council

«Endingen and Lengnau can reach a broad audience with insights into how people of different cultures lived together in a small space, resting for centuries on a foundation of tolerance.»

Nadia Guth Biasini, President of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Museum of Switzerland

«I hope that the opening of this centre will highlight our rich and interesting history of Jewish-Christian coexistence in the Surbtal, and in so doing provide future generations with a vivid example of the peaceful coexistence of different cultures and religions.»

Thierry Burkart, Aargau representative to the Swiss Council of States

Marianne Binder Keller 2023 mit weissem Hintergrund scaled

«The Doppeltür project keeps history alive and bears witness to how people lived together and integrated into society over the past centuries. In so doing, it creates vivid memories.»

Marianne Binder, Aargau representative to the Swiss Council of States