Vienna - Europe's biggest Jewish school, ranging from kindergarten to high school, was inaugurated in Vienna on Wednesday.

As enrollment in Vienna's four Jewish schools is rising, the Zwi Perez Chajes school decided to construct a new 19,400-square-metre campus for up to 600 pupils.

"With this school complex, we have the best infrastucture of all Jewish communities in Europe," said Ariel Muzicant, president of the Vienna Jewish Religious Community, which operates the school.

Besides the standard Austrian curriculum, boys and girls from 60 countries are being taught in Hebrew, as well as Jewish religion and history. Pupils have to travel to Israel once during their time at the school.

Currently, 380 pupils are enrolled in the school, but Muzicant said he hoped the number would rise to 500 in the next couple of years.

Vienna's Jewish Religious Community has around 7,500 members.

After Austria merged with Nazi Germany in 1938, the Zwi Perez Chajes school was closed by the National Socialist regime. One of the school's buildings was used as a collecting point for Jews before they were sent to concentration camps.

The institution reopened in stages in the 1980ies.

The 16 million euros (23 million dollars) needed for building the new campus were co-financed in roughly equal parts by the Austrian government, the city of Vienna, and the Jewish community.

Until 1938, Vienna was home to 200,000 Jews, one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe. More than 60,000 Vienna Jews were killed by the National Socialists; the others flew to Palestine and other countries. (dpa)