Jewish cemetery in Jihlava

The Jewish cemetery in Jihlava is one of the best-preserved Jewish heritage sites in Moravia, located on U Cvičiště street on the outskirts of the city. Spread across nearly 9,000 square meters, it holds the graves of, among others, the parents and brothers of composer Gustav Mahler, who grew up in Jihlava.

How to get there?

The cemetery sits in a quiet suburban area of Jihlava, and there are no tourist signs pointing to it from the city center. The site is enclosed by a masonry wall, but the gate is not kept locked, so anyone can walk in freely. The easiest way to reach it is by car or on foot from the city center using a map, since there's no signage guiding visitors to the entrance.

Where did this cemetery come from?

Jewish settlement in Jihlava has a long and interrupted history. The first mention of Jews in the city dates back to 1249, and a more lasting community developed after 1345, when Margrave Charles — later Emperor Charles IV — granted it a formal privilege. In 1425, Jews were expelled from Jihlava, and the medieval cemetery disappeared along with them; its exact location remains unknown today.

When the Jewish community in Jihlava re-established itself in the 19th century, the dead were initially buried in the cemetery of the nearby village of Puklice. It wasn't until 1867–1868 that Rabbi Joachim Jakob Unger, together with the chairman of the Jihlava Jewish community, Leopold Schnürmann, organized the construction of a dedicated cemetery in the city itself. It was formally inaugurated in 1869, a year before the local Chevra Kadisha burial society was founded, and the first funeral took place on 20 December 1870.

What will you see on site?

The cemetery covers 8,879 square meters and holds more than a thousand gravestones, most in good condition. The oldest date back to the 19th-century founding, while the last known burial took place in 1980.

The buildings at the entrance have a history as turbulent as the community itself. A modest neoclassical ceremonial hall went up already in 1869, designed by Eduard Rathausky. In 1903–1904 it was replaced by a larger complex — a ceremonial hall, mortuary, carriage house, and caretaker's apartment — designed in a historicizing style by Viennese architect Wilhelm Stiassny, known for his synagogue designs across Central Europe. That complex did not survive the war: on the night of 7–8 April 1939 it was burned down by the Nazis, and the remains were demolished in 1966. A simpler ceremonial hall went up in 1969 near the current entrance, designed by Milena Kubíková-Veselá. The site was thoroughly reconstructed by 1993, when a new wrought-iron gate decorated with Jewish symbols and commemorative plaques was installed.

The Mahler family graves

Among the gravestones, the burial site of Gustav Mahler's parents and brothers holds particular significance — Mahler spent his childhood and youth in Jihlava, and his family remained tied to the city. These graves are one reason the cemetery draws visitors following the so-called Mahler Trail through the Vysočina region, which also takes in other sites connected to the composer within Jihlava itself.

Frequently asked questions

When was the current Jewish cemetery in Jihlava built? It was built in 1867–1868 on the initiative of Rabbi Joachim Jakob Unger and Leopold Schnürmann, and formally opened in 1869. The first recorded burial took place on 20 December 1870.

Is this the city's first Jewish cemetery? No — an earlier, medieval cemetery already existed in the 13th century, but it disappeared after the Jews were expelled from Jihlava in 1425, and its location is unknown today.

Who is buried here? More than a thousand people, including the parents and brothers of composer Gustav Mahler, who grew up in Jihlava.

What happened to the original ceremonial hall? The 1903–1904 building complex designed by Wilhelm Stiassny was destroyed by fire set by the Nazis in April 1939, and its remains were demolished in 1966. A new hall was built in 1969.

Is entry to the cemetery free? Yes, the site is fenced but the gate is not locked, so visitors can walk in without needing to book in advance.