Jewish cemetery in Hřešihlavy

The Jewish cemetery in Hřešihlavy is a quiet, largely forgotten historical site in the Rokycany district of the Plzeň Region. It lies roughly 500 meters east of the village of Hřešihlavy, today a local part of Kladruby, on a wooded hillside near a path leading toward a weir by the Lejskov mill. There is no signage marking the site, so it tends to be visited mainly by people who already know its history and location in advance.

How old is the Jewish community that founded this cemetery?

Jews are recorded as living in Hřešihlavy from as early as 1623, and an organized Jewish community was established there in 1680 — making it the second-oldest such community in the Rokycany district, after Terešov. By the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, Hřešihlavy had become a village with a Jewish majority. In 1840, more than thirty Jewish families lived there, totaling 262 people, or 51% of the entire population — the peak of the community's presence.

Why did the Jewish community here disappear?

During the second half of the 19th century, a broader trend took hold across the region: Jewish families increasingly moved from small rural villages toward larger towns, where trade and craft opportunities were greater. As residents of Hřešihlavy relocated, the local congregation gradually dissolved, and the village synagogue was closed before the century's end. This effectively ended organized Jewish religious life in the village.

What remains at the cemetery today?

The cemetery dates back to the early 19th century and covers an area of about 0.2 hectares. Around 55 tombstones survive today, although historical estimates suggest the original number may have ranged from 20 to 100 gravestones, with some no longer standing in their original positions and many toppled or damaged over time. The oldest legible epitaph dates to 1815, and the last recorded burial took place in 1911, though some sources note burials continuing into the 1930s. Of the original boundary wall and small funeral chapel, only ruins remain, reflecting both the passage of time and the gradual reclaiming of the site by the surrounding forest.

Who was buried in this cemetery?

The cemetery served not only the Jewish residents of Hřešihlavy itself but also Jewish families from neighboring communities, including Liblín and Kralovice. This indicates that the burial ground functioned as a regional site for the wider Jewish population of the Rokycany area, rather than serving a single village congregation alone.

Who maintains the site now?

Today, the cemetery is cared for by the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic. Despite its unmarked and somewhat hard-to-find location within the forest, it remains a meaningful record of a Jewish rural presence that once shaped daily life in this part of western Bohemia.

Frequently asked questions

Is the cemetery easy to find for visitors? Not really — the site has no signage and sits within forested terrain away from main tourist routes, so it helps to know the exact location in advance.

Does a synagogue still stand in Hřešihlavy? No functioning synagogue remains; it was closed in the 19th century as the local Jewish congregation declined, and only ruins of associated structures near the cemetery have survived.

How many gravestones can still be seen? Around 55 tombstones remain on site today, some displaced from their original positions or damaged over the decades.

Why is this cemetery historically significant? It illustrates how substantial the Jewish presence in rural western Bohemia once was — at its peak, Jews made up more than half of Hřešihlavy's population.