Jewish cemetery in Jičín

The Jewish cemetery in Jičín ranks among the best-preserved traces of the historic Jewish community in the northeastern Czech Republic. It sits at the edge of the Obora forest, near the Wallenstein Loggia, roughly two kilometres from the town centre, in the Jičín-Sedličky area.

How did this burial ground come to exist?

The cemetery's origins go back to the mid-17th century. In 1651, Rudolf von Tiefenbach, the then-owner of the local estate, issued a letter of protection allowing Jews to settle in Jičín, trade freely, and purchase land for a burial site of their own. That grant laid the ground for the cemetery still standing today, though some sources describe its founding more loosely as occurring "before 1652."

What survives on the site today?

More than 350 gravestones remain, dating from the 18th through the 20th century, with the oldest surviving stone marked 1734. Most of the tombstones follow Baroque or Classicist forms, and a good number carry dual inscriptions in both Hebrew and Czech — a detail that reflects how the local Jewish community gradually blended into its Czech-speaking surroundings over the generations. A memorial plaque commemorating victims of Nazism also stands on the grounds.

In 1888 the cemetery was enlarged with an adjoining plot, and a small funeral house (a tahara, used for the ritual washing of the dead before burial) was built alongside the expansion.

For how long was the cemetery in use?

The site served the community for close to three centuries without interruption. The last documented burial took place in 1949, making the cemetery a physical record of the local Jewish community's fate all the way into the postwar period, by which point its numbers had been drastically reduced by the Holocaust.

What happened to the cemetery in the following decades?

For years after burials ceased, the site was neglected, and across several decades it suffered repeated vandalism — many gravestones were toppled, and some were stolen outright. The situation began to change in the early 1990s: since 1992, systematic clean-up and restoration work has been underway, gradually returning the cemetery to something closer to its original appearance. In 1993, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic listed the cemetery as a protected cultural monument, giving it formal legal protection.

What other Jewish heritage sites remain in Jičín?

The cemetery is not the only trace of Jewish presence left in the town. In the historic centre, running parallel to the northern side of the main square, lies the former Jewish street — today's Židovská street. A synagogue also still stands nearby, with roots reaching back to the second half of the 18th century; its current Classicist appearance dates from a rebuilding after a fire in 1840.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the cemetery located? At the edge of the Obora forest, near the Wallenstein Loggia, in the Jičín-Sedličky area, about two kilometres from the town centre.

How many gravestones have survived? More than 350, including the oldest one from 1734.

When was the last burial held? In 1949.

Is the cemetery legally protected? Yes — it has been listed as a Czech cultural monument since 1993, and restoration work has continued since 1992.

Is it worth combining a visit with other sites in Jičín? Yes — the historic centre nearby holds the former Jewish street (Židovská) and an 18th-century synagogue.