Jewish cemetery in Litomyšl

The Jewish cemetery in Litomyšl is a small, secluded burial ground set among open fields roughly 2 km northwest of the town centre, on the way toward the village of Kornice. Rarely visited today, it remains one of the few physical traces of the Jewish community that once lived in this part of the Pardubice region.

When was the cemetery founded?

Sources disagree on the exact founding date. Some accounts point to around 1840, while others place the establishment of the cemetery at its current site in 1876. The surviving death registers of the local Jewish community begin in 1877, which supports the later date. The oldest preserved gravestones date from 1876–1877, marking the effective start of the site's documented history. The cemetery covers an area of about 1,282 square metres.

Who was buried here?

The cemetery served the local Jewish community, including families connected to the town's shoemaking and textile industries — trades that shaped Litomyšl's economic life for generations. The site did not carry protected heritage status from the outset; that recognition came only much later.

What happened to the cemetery during and after the war?

The last documented burial took place in 1942. The Jewish community of Litomyšl was destroyed during the Second World War, and with it went the ongoing care of the burial ground. For decades afterward the cemetery fell into neglect: gravestones toppled over, some stones were stolen, and vegetation overtook the site. Another mark of Jewish life in the town, the synagogue built in 1909–1910, did not survive either — its site was later built over with housing near today's Komenského Square.

Is the cemetery cared for today?

The situation has begun to change in recent years. The cemetery is owned by the Jewish Community of Prague, and in June 2019 a local caretaker from Litomyšl was appointed to look after the site. In early January 2020 the cemetery was declared a cultural monument, opening the way to formal protection. Even so, it remains a quiet, little-known place — a visit here is more an encounter with history than a conventional tourist stop.

How do you get there?

The cemetery lies off Litomyšl's main tourist routes, surrounded by farmland, so it is easy to miss without planning ahead — it's best reached on foot or by bike from the town centre.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors walk around the cemetery? The site is accessible, though unmarked and partly overgrown — visitors should treat it with the respect due a burial ground.

How many gravestones have survived? Many stones fell or went missing over the decades; some have only been rediscovered in recent years during clean-up efforts.

Is there still a Jewish community in Litomyšl? No — the local Jewish community ceased to exist as a result of the Second World War, and the cemetery is now formally owned by the Jewish Community of Prague.