Jewish cemetery in Drážkov

The Jewish cemetery in Drážkov sits roughly 2 km southwest of the village of Drážkov, on the edge of a forest within the cadastral territory of Řadovy, part of the municipality of Svatý Jan in the Příbram District of the Central Bohemian Region. It ranks among the better-preserved traces of Jewish life in this part of the Czech Republic, even though the local Jewish community itself disappeared long ago.

When was the cemetery established?

The burial ground dates to 1680. Its founding is closely tied to the plague epidemic that swept through Bohemia in 1679–1680, causing exceptionally high mortality among the Jewish population of Kamýk, Drážkov, and the surrounding villages. The urgent need for a burial site during the outbreak likely drove the choice of this secluded spot at the forest's edge.

How did the site grow over time?

The first major expansion came in 1791, when a provisional fence was replaced with a permanent stone wall. A second expansion followed around the mid-19th century, coinciding with the construction of a synagogue in Drážkov itself. In 1850 a tahara house, the building used for ritual washing of the dead, was added, along with a new boundary wall and an entrance gate.

What can visitors see today?

About three hundred gravestones survive, dating from 1681 to 1936. The collection ranges from plain, roughly hewn markers of irregular shape to finely carved stones rich in symbolic decoration, featuring floral motifs and religious symbols cut into baroque granite typical of Jewish funerary art from this period. Inside the vaulted tahara building, the original stone table used for the ritual washing of the deceased has been preserved.

Has the cemetery been restored?

Yes. During the 1990s the grounds were cleared of self-seeded trees and overgrown vegetation that had spread across the plots over the decades, followed by conservation work that repaired the tahara building, the surrounding wall, and gravestones that had toppled over. As a result, the cemetery is now in good condition, although the wrought-iron gate on the eastern side remains locked to casual visitors.

What protection status does the site hold?

The cemetery is listed as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic, which grants it formal legal protection and support for its upkeep.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors walk around the cemetery on their own? The grounds are enclosed by a wall and the eastern gate stays locked, so access to the interior needs to be arranged in advance.

Why was the cemetery built so far from the village? Placing it at the edge of a forest, away from the settlement, followed a common pattern for Jewish burial grounds of the era and also reflected the urgent circumstances of its founding during an epidemic.

How old is the oldest surviving gravestone? Preserved matzevot span from 1681, nearly from the cemetery's founding, through to 1936.

Was there a synagogue nearby? Yes, a synagogue was built in Drážkov itself around the mid-19th century, around the same time as the cemetery's second expansion.