Jewish cemetery in Havlíčkův Brod

The Jewish cemetery in Havlíčkův Brod is one of the region's most quietly moving historical sites, tucked on the western edge of this Vysočina town, roughly 800 metres from the main square, between Ledečská and Pujmanové streets. It preserves the memory of a Jewish community that took root here over centuries — and it holds, right next to it, a rare and sobering trace of the First World War.

When was the cemetery established?

The burial ground was founded between 1888 and 1890 and remained in active use until 1942. Spread across more than 3,100 square metres, it still holds close to two hundred surviving gravestones (matzevot), standing as physical evidence of a community that lived, worshipped and buried its dead here for decades before the Second World War brought its existence to an end.

How long had Jewish residents lived in the area?

Jewish presence around Havlíčkův Brod can be traced back to the 14th century, but for centuries afterward Jews were barred from settling within the town itself — a restriction lifted only in the mid-19th century. Only then could the community establish a lasting foothold in town. Its religious congregation was formally founded in 1883 and maintained its own rabbi; by around 1900 it numbered fewer than 250 members. The community ceased to exist after 1940, a fact that gives the cemetery's current, quiet state its full weight.

What is the separate typhus cemetery?

Immediately beside the main burial ground lies a site unique in the Czech Republic: a typhus cemetery, established in 1917. It came into being because of a wartime tragedy — Jewish refugees from Galicia and Bukovina, fleeing the eastern front during the First World War, were housed in an overcrowded refugee camp on the grounds of what is today a psychiatric hospital. A typhus epidemic broke out there, and the death toll quickly outstripped the capacity of the town's existing Jewish cemetery. A new burial site was therefore created; eighteen victims were laid to rest there, marked by plain, uniform stelae arranged in orderly rows lined with trees planted in a pattern resembling a cross. It is the only surviving cemetery of its kind anywhere in the country, giving it a historical significance well beyond its modest size and its relative obscurity outside the region.

What can visitors see on site?

Visitors can walk both burial grounds — the main cemetery, densely packed with gravestones predating 1942, and the smaller, symmetrically laid-out typhus cemetery beside it. The contrast between the two says a great deal on its own: richly carved matzevot on one side, identical austere stelae on the other, capturing the difference between the ordinary passage of a local community's history and the sudden, tragic disruption of wartime crisis. This is not a conventional tourist stop but a place for quiet reflection, of particular interest to anyone drawn to the history of Jewish communities in Central Europe or to First World War traces across the Vysočina region.

Frequently asked questions

Can the cemetery be visited freely? The grounds can be viewed from outside and, in part, from within, though as a protected heritage site and a burial ground it calls for a respectful, subdued visit.

Are burials still carried out here? No — the last burials at the main cemetery took place in 1942, and the typhus cemetery is tied exclusively to the 1917–1918 epidemic.

Why is the typhus cemetery considered unique? Because it is the only surviving cemetery of its kind in the entire Czech Republic, created specifically for the victims of an epidemic among wartime refugees.

How do you get there? The site lies about 800 metres west of Havlíčkův Brod's main square, near Ledečská and Pujmanové streets, an easy walk from the town centre.