Jewish Cemetery in Katowice

The Jewish Cemetery in Katowice is located at ulica Kozielska 16 in the city centre. It was opened in 1869. It is still in use and entered in the heritage register, and the protection covers the grounds, the gravestones, the funeral building, the building of the Burial Society and the fence with a wrought-iron gate.

History of the cemetery

In 1868 the Jewish community bought from Josef Ludnowski a plot of three morgens for 480 thalers. The first person buried in the cemetery was four-year-old Carl Munzer. The grounds were extended in 1927. In 1890 the funeral house was rebuilt, and next to it the building of the Burial Society was erected, with a flat for the caretaker.

During the Second World War the Germans devastated the cemetery, and the bodies of murdered defenders of Katowice were brought onto its grounds. In 1945 the cemetery was extended again.

Gravestones and memorial

The cemetery covers about 1.1 ha and is surrounded by a brick fence. About 1400 gravestones have survived, although some studies give 949 and others 1417. Those buried here include members of the Goldstein, Glaser and Schalscha families. The Holocaust memorial takes the form of a wide altar with Polish and Hebrew inscriptions on the steles, and on the altar slab are plaques commemorating six families murdered by the Germans.

Nearby

The history of the city, including its multicultural past, is told by the Katowice History Museum.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Kozielska 16, Katowice
• The cemetery is a place of burial and remembrance, and silence is required
• Rules of entry and opening hours are provided by the cemetery's administrator, the Jewish religious community