Jewish Cemetery in Moldava nad Bodvou

The Jewish cemetery in Moldava nad Bodvou is a small, isolated burial ground set on a hillside between fields and woodland, away from the town's main roads in the Košice region, Košice-okolie district of Slovakia. There is no sign or marker at the site, and access is reached directly from a public road — the ground is generally open to visitors through a broken section of masonry wall and a gate that does not lock.

How old is the cemetery?

The exact founding date is unknown, but the oldest surviving tombstone dates to 1886, suggesting the cemetery was established no later than the second half of the 19th century. It already appeared marked on a regional map from 1934, confirming it was in active use during the interwar period. The most recent recorded tombstone is dated 1936.

What survives on the site today?

Around 90 tombstones remain, made of marble, granite, and sandstone in flat shapes with Hebrew inscriptions. All surviving stones are still in their original locations — none appear to have been relocated or regrouped, which matters for anyone researching the history of the local Jewish community. The site also includes a pre-burial house, traditionally used for the ritual preparation of the body before burial.

How is the cemetery protected?

The grounds are fenced — an external iron fence was installed in 1998 and is described as being in good condition, with the cemetery overall considered well maintained. Documentation nonetheless notes moderate threats from security issues, litter, and encroaching vegetation, while vandalism is flagged as a serious threat. Records also mention that an unknown property owner had at times used the site in ways inconsistent with its character, including as a waste dump.

Who documents and monitors the site?

The cemetery is catalogued in an international registry of Jewish burial sites under US Commission Number SLCE000095, part of a broader effort to document the condition of Jewish cemeteries across Eastern Europe. The European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative (ESJF) also maintains regular survey records tracking the state of such sites across Slovakia.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors access the cemetery on their own? The site is technically accessible — the gate does not lock and part of the wall is broken — but it remains a historically and religiously significant burial ground that calls for respectful behavior from anyone visiting.

How do you get there? The cemetery lies in the woods a short distance from a chapel, reached by following the road from the town's main street toward the fields, where the paved surface turns into an unpaved track.

Have all the graves survived intact? Records are not fully consistent on the number of surviving tombstones, with counts ranging from roughly 20 to 100 across different survey periods — a sign that some stones may have been lost, damaged, or scattered over the decades.

Did Moldava nad Bodvou have a significant Jewish community? The presence of tombstones spanning from 1886 to 1936 points to an organized Jewish community active in the town for at least half a century, continuing right up to the eve of the Second World War.