The Arieh family, after settling for a while in Vienna, had to leave the Hapsburg capital one day because the wife of tolerant Joseph II (1765-90) had set their sights on one of the clan’s most handsome, eligible bachelors. The Ariehs first moved to Vidin, then Sofia, and finally Samokov.The beautiful synagogue, today a national historic monument, along with a number of other public works (bridges, public fountains, etc.) were built by the Arieh family. Samokov was the home of a significant Jewish community, which in 1857-1860 built a spacious synagogue in the characteristic Revival Period architecture of the region.