Jewish cemetery in Čkyně

The Jewish cemetery in Čkyně is one of the best-preserved Jewish burial grounds in southern Bohemia, tucked away in a small forest on a hillside just above the railway line, on the right side of the road leading from Čkyně toward Hradčany. The site sits in the Šumava foothills, in the Prachatice district, close to the town of Čkyně itself, which grew up where the Nahořanský stream meets the Volyňka river.

When was the cemetery established?

The cemetery was most likely founded toward the end of the 17th century, though the oldest surviving gravestone is dated 1688. It served not only the Jewish community of Čkyně but also nearby towns and villages — burials from Vimperk and surrounding settlements took place here as well, underlining the site's role as a regional resting place for a scattered Jewish diaspora in this part of the Šumava region.

What survives on the cemetery grounds today?

The cemetery holds a varied collection of gravestones spanning Baroque, Classicist and later 19th- and 20th-century styles. One particularly distinctive feature is the children's section: the gravestones near the western part of the boundary wall face east, unlike the rest of the graves, which are oriented west — an unusual detail that sets this cemetery apart from many others in the Czech lands.

Within the grounds stands a 19th-century mortuary building bearing a Hebrew inscription. A memorial plaque affixed to it commemorates the Jewish community of Čkyně and the victims of the Holocaust — a quiet but powerful trace of the people who shaped the religious and economic life of this region for generations.

What happened to the local Jewish community?

Burials continued uninterrupted until 1942, when the local Jewish population was deported to concentration camps, where most of them perished. The last burial took place shortly before deportation to Terezín, making this cemetery a tangible record of the destruction of the local community. Čkyně itself has a much older history — the first written mention of the settlement dates to 1243, and in 1537 King Ferdinand I granted it town rights.

Who maintains the cemetery today?

After 1945, care of the site passed to the Jewish Religious Community in Plzeň, and it is now owned by the Jewish Community of Prague. Between 1982 and 1995 the cemetery underwent restoration supported by the state and the Prague Jewish community, which helped preserve both the gravestones and the mortuary building in good condition.

Frequently asked questions

Is the cemetery open to visitors? The site sits in a secluded forest but can be visited — it remains an active religious burial ground, so visitors should treat it with appropriate respect.

How do you get there? The cemetery lies south of the center of Čkyně, along the road toward Hradčany, just above the railway line — the easiest way to reach it is on foot or by bicycle from the town.

Why are some gravestones oriented differently? The children's section has gravestones facing east, while the rest of the cemetery faces west — a rare feature not found in many other Jewish cemeteries in the region.

Are there other traces of the Jewish community in Čkyně? Besides the cemetery, the mortuary building with its memorial plaque is the most significant surviving testimony — it tells the fullest story of a Jewish community that existed here for more than two and a half centuries.