Old Jewish Cemetery in Cieszyn

The Old Jewish Cemetery in Cieszyn is one of the oldest Jewish necropolises in the region. It covers 1.9 ha, is surrounded by a brick wall, and more than 1,500 gravestones have survived on it.

Beginnings of the cemetery

The cemetery was founded in 1647, when the merchant Jakub Singer bought land from Jan Kraus. A ducal instruction of 23 April 1647 gave him freedom of religion and permission to establish a family cemetery. The Singer family owned it until 1785, when the land was sold to the Jewish community. The heritage register dates the site to the 19th century, hence the discrepancy with the founding date in other sources. The oldest surviving grave dates from 1686.

Matzevot

The oldest gravestones have a simple form. From the mid-18th century decorations appear, for example heraldic lions and symbols. The later matzevot, from the mid-19th century, refer to Classicism and take the form of obelisks, often with inscriptions in German rather than Hebrew. A 19th-century funeral house also stands on the grounds.

The war years

In April 1945 the Gestapo shot 81 hostages in the cemetery, among them 18 Czech scouts. The bodies were later exhumed and buried in the municipal cemetery in Cieszyn.

Today

The cemetery was entered in the heritage register in 1986. It is looked after by the Jewish Religious Community in Bielsko-Biała. A few hundred metres away lies the New Jewish Cemetery in Cieszyn.

Practical information

• The cemetery is in Cieszyn, near the Rotunda of St Nicholas
• This is an active place of remembrance: keep quiet and show respect, and do not walk on the graves. Check the rules of entry and the days of access before your visit with the custodian, that is the Jewish community in Bielsko-Biała