5.1 E. Goldhammera Street – Soldinger Hotel

We are now on a street named after Eliasz Goldhammer, a distinguished citizen of Tarnów, social and political activist and the first Jewish deputy mayor of Tarnów. Despite the fact that he actively promoted the assimilation of Tarnów’s Jewish communities , Goldhammer was respected by almost all Jews in the city, including traditional and orthodox groups. He was also appreciated by non-Jewish Tarnovians: naming one of the streets in the city centre after him is the best proof of this.

The Herman Soldinger Hotel was located in Goldhammera Street 3. Built in 1904, it was one of the most popular and luxurious in Tarnów, originally sumptuously decorated with art nouveau ornaments. After the Second World War, one of the rooms was designated as a prayer-room, which was used until the 1960s. It was later moved to a house at number 1 on the same street, where it remained an active prayer-room until the death of the last religious Jew of Tarnów, Abraham Ladner, in 1993.

Number 5 was the seat of the Credit Society for Industry Trade. Its founder and chairman was Herman Merz, a long-time member of the City Council and the chairman of the Jewish community. He was one of the most influential Jewish activists in Tarnów before the First World War.