Jewish Cemetery Český Těšín

The Jewish Cemetery in Český Těšín sits on Hřbitovní Street (literally "Cemetery Street") in the Czech part of a town that, until 1920, formed a single urban body straddling both banks of the Olza River.

Why does this cemetery exist on the Czech side of the border?

The story of this burial ground cannot be separated from the fate of the wider region. Cieszyn Silesia had for centuries been a shared cultural and administrative territory, but after the First World War it became a bone of contention between a newly reborn Poland and the freshly established Czechoslovakia. In 1920, the dispute was formally settled: the Olza River became the state border, splitting the once-unified town of Cieszyn into two separate municipalities — Polish Cieszyn and Czech Český Těšín. This administrative rupture also reshaped the life of the local Jewish community, which suddenly found itself needing to organize its religious institutions on the newly Czechoslovak side of the frontier. The cemetery on Hřbitovní Street emerged directly from this situation, serving as the burial site for Jewish residents who now lived within Czechoslovak borders, administratively separated from the community they had shared with the Polish side before 1920.

Where exactly is the cemetery located?

The cemetery lies within the boundaries of present-day Český Těšín, on a street whose very name — Hřbitovní, meaning "Cemetery Street" — points directly to its function. Its geographic coordinates are approximately 49.7569°N, 18.6046°E, placing it within the town's built-up area, not far from the center of this half of what was once a single, unified Cieszyn.

Why does this place matter today?

The Jewish cemetery in Český Těšín stands today as one of the tangible reminders of the Jewish community's historical presence in Cieszyn Silesia, and of the consequences that the redrawing of state borders after 1920 had on the religious and organizational life of local residents. For anyone interested in the history of the Polish-Czech borderland, the site offers a physical trace of events that permanently shaped the identity of two towns — Cieszyn and Český Těšín — which to this day function as separate urban entities in two different countries, despite roots that reach back much further into a shared past.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Jewish cemetery in Český Těšín established? It was established mainly as a result of the division of Cieszyn Silesia and the town of Cieszyn between Poland and Czechoslovakia in 1920.

On which street is the cemetery located? The cemetery is located on Hřbitovní Street (Cemetery Street) in Český Těšín.

Why was Cieszyn divided into a Polish and a Czech part? The division resulted from a border dispute between Poland and Czechoslovakia after the First World War, resolved in 1920, when the Olza River became the new state border.

Is the cemetery located in Poland or in the Czech Republic? The cemetery is located in Český Těšín, on the Czech side of the border, within the Czech Republic.