Jewish Cemetery in Bielsko-Biała

The Jewish cemetery in Bielsko-Biała lies at Cieszyńska 92 in the Aleksandrowice district and is still used by the Jewish community. It covers 2.39 ha and is listed in the heritage register.

History

The cemetery was founded in 1849 during a cholera epidemic. The community then bought land worth 2,500 guilders, and it had about 427 members. During the German occupation more than half of the gravestones were stolen or destroyed. The oldest section, F, lost about 95% of its graves, and the Orthodox section disappeared completely. Since 1997 the cemetery has been managed by the Jewish Religious Community in Bielsko-Biała, and extensive clearance work was carried out in the 1990s.

Funeral house and gravestones

The funeral house was designed in 1885 by Karol Korn in the Romantic-Moorish style. Its greatest value is the ceiling polychromes covering 144 m², regarded as the only surviving example of this kind of Jewish sacred art in the region. About 1,200 gravestones have survived, marking about 3,000 burial places. Those buried here include industrialists, doctors, teachers and soldiers of the First World War.

Practical information

• Address: Cieszyńska 92, Bielsko-Biała.
• Check the rules of entry to the cemetery before your visit.
• Men should cover their heads, and eating and drinking are not allowed on the grounds.
• Information: the Jewish community office at 3 Maja 7.