Jewish cemetery in Kostelec nad Labem

The Jewish cemetery in Kostelec nad Labem ranks among the oldest surviving Jewish burial grounds in the Czech Republic, founded in 1594. It sits at the edge of the small town of Kostelec nad Labem in the Mělník District of the Central Bohemian Region, and since 2008 it has been protected as a listed cultural monument.

Where did Kostelec's Jewish community come from?

Jewish settlement in Kostelec dates back to the early 16th century, with the first records of a Jewish presence in the town appearing around 1505. The community stayed modest in size, made up of only a handful of families along with a few unmarried men, yet it still organized its own religious and educational life. The Jews of Kostelec maintained both a cemetery and a school, with instruction for children established around 1717. In 1886 the community acquired a hayloft and converted it into a synagogue — a building that survived into the postwar years but was demolished after 1948, following the end of organized Jewish community life in Kostelec in 1940.

What makes this cemetery stand out among others in the region?

Its age sets it apart: a founding date of 1594 places it among the oldest Jewish cemeteries anywhere in today's Czech Republic. The grounds were enlarged several times, notably in 1813 and 1850, reflecting periods when the local community grew and stabilized. According to local accounts, burials here reportedly stopped for a time after the Thirty Years' War and only resumed around 1850. The last burial recorded at the site took place in 1948.

What happened to the oldest gravestones?

Despite the cemetery's 16th-century origin, the oldest surviving tombstones actually date only from the second half of the 19th century. Earlier stones did not survive — they were destroyed or repurposed as building material, first in the postwar period and again in the 1980s, when new owners of a neighboring property expanded their house and broken fragments of the old gravestones ended up in the foundations of the extension. Despite these losses, around 300 tombstones remain on site today, the youngest bearing the date 1964.

What does the cemetery look like today?

Reconstruction work began in the early 2000s, during which a section of the surrounding wall was taken down and a new entrance gate was built. Today the cemetery serves as a quiet historical memorial site, open to visitors interested in the Jewish heritage of the Mělník region. Walking among the surviving gravestones, visitors can trace more than a century of the local Jewish community's history, from the mid-19th century through to the 1960s.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Jewish cemetery in Kostelec nad Labem founded? The cemetery was established in 1594, making it one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in the Czech Republic.

Have the oldest gravestones survived? No — the oldest tombstones were destroyed after World War II and again in the 1980s, when they were used as building material. The gravestones that remain today date from the second half of the 19th century onward.

How many gravestones survive today? Around 300 tombstones remain at the site, with the youngest dated 1964.

Did Kostelec have a synagogue? Yes, from 1886 the community used a former hayloft converted into a synagogue, which was demolished after 1948.

Is the cemetery legally protected? Yes, it has been listed as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic since 2008.