Jewish cemetery in Horažďovice

The Jewish cemetery in Horažďovice ranks among the most significant sites of Jewish burial culture in the Prácheňsko region, situated on the northern edge of the town between the roads leading to Velký Bor and Svéradice, on Odbojářů street. The present cemetery was established in the early 19th century to replace an older burial ground about which little is known — some accounts place its origins as early as the 15th century, while archival evidence suggests it existed by 1619.

Why was a new cemetery needed?

The original Jewish burial ground lay within the area of the town's former ghetto, close to today's Prácheňská street near the eastern fortification walls. Around 1830 it was officially closed down and liquidated: the gravestones were removed and the site was covered over with a layer of earth. Around the same period, a new cemetery was founded on a hill north of Loreto, and it is this site that survives today. The oldest preserved gravestone in the new cemetery dates from 1832.

What was the Jewish community in Horažďovice like?

Jewish settlement in the town is documented from the early 17th century. The first synagogue and Jewish school were founded in 1684. Following the era of emancipation, in the second half of the 19th century, Horažďovice became the central Jewish community for a triangle of settlements comprising Horažďovice, Rabí, and Slatina. The Jewish community in the town ceased to exist in 1940, its fate sealed by the Second World War: it was effectively destroyed, the last burials at the cemetery took place in 1942, and the site subsequently fell into neglect.

What remains to be seen at the cemetery today?

The cemetery covers an area of roughly 3,100 square meters and lies about 1 kilometer north of the town square. More than 380 to 420 gravestones have survived, the oldest dating from the early 19th century and the newest from 1960 — the year of the last recorded burial. At the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, gravestones rescued from the earlier, destroyed old cemetery were relocated here; arranging them in the previously empty western section of the grounds took roughly a decade.

What is the current condition of the cemetery?

The burial ground is enclosed by a stone wall, which was reconstructed in December 2018 by the ESJF (European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative) as part of a broader program to protect Jewish heritage sites across Central Europe. As a result of this work, the cemetery today is fenced and well maintained, making it an accessible place of remembrance for visitors.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the cemetery located? On the northern edge of Horažďovice, between the roads to Velký Bor and Svéradice, on Odbojářů street, about 1 km from the town center.

How many gravestones have survived? Sources cite figures ranging from around 380 to 420, depending on the counting method and whether stones relocated from the old cemetery are included.

When was the last burial held here? In 1960.

Can the cemetery be visited? Yes, it is fenced and maintained, and following the 2018 wall restoration it stands as a well-kept memorial site open to visitors.