Double-doored houses: living side-by-side

Double-doored houses in Surbtal are unique, and they immediately catch the eye. The double-doored entrances are not an architectural embellishment; they have rooted in history.

One roof, two doors

With their two identical entrances next to each other, double-doored houses in Lengnau and Endingen bear architectural witness to Jewish-Christian coexistence in Surbtal. Whether these houses were actually inhabited by Jewish and Christian families simultaneously has not been determined conclusively by scholars. While Jews did live in the centre of village, the law required that they live separately from Christians. Either way, the doors are a powerful symbol of tolerance, dialogue and coexistence between Surbtal’s two religions. And to this day, they retain a powerful symbolic significance for the diversity of our own society.

Systematic segregation

These unusual buildings remain a visible sign of a daily life that fluctuated between proximity and distance, between separation and coexistence. There were two architectural variations:

Horizontal separation: two living areas with separate entrances at the gable walls.
Vertical separation: From around 1770, it became increasingly common to divide houses by floor, with each household occupying a separate floor.

From prohibition to ownership

Beginning in 1776, Jews in Switzerland were allowed to settle in just two villages: Endingen and Lengnau. This caused rapid local population growth and an ever-worsening shortage of living space. The strict ban on owning houses came under increasing pressure and was ultimately lifted. By 1830, more than half of the houses in both communities belonged to Jewish families.

Historical heritage

Most importantly, the centre of Lengnau, with its distinctive, triangular village square, remained in Jewish hands for almost a century. Many Jewish families also lived in the best locations in Endingen. Although the ban on house ownership has long since been lifted, one architectural legacy remains: double-doored houses.

Blessed houses

Whoever walks through the side-streets of Lengnau or Endingen will notice a small but meaningful detail on some of the old houses: a notch on the right doorpost. This is where the mezuzah was once placed – a small wooden or metal box containing a parchment with Hebrew blessings, offering Jewish families spiritual protection of both the house and its inhabitants. The mezuzah contains the text of Schma Jisrael (“Hear, Oh Israel“) and is based on verses from the Torah, the five books of Moses: “Thou shalt write these words on the doorposts of thy house and on thy gates.”