Jewish cemetery in Měchnov

The Jewish cemetery near Měchnov is one of the better-preserved Jewish burial grounds in the Posázaví region, tucked away in open fields near the crossroads leading to Měchnov and Šternov, right above the D1 motorway. Administratively it lies within the Měchnov cadastral area, but historically it belonged to the Jewish community of Divišov, roughly 2 km away.

Why was the cemetery built here?

A Jewish community had existed in Divišov since the 17th century, yet it took until the second half of the 18th century for it to secure its own burial site. In 1776, with permission from both church and secular authorities, community representatives leased a plot of land from Michal Čejka of Olbramovice, paying 200 gold coins for the land and the surrounding wall, plus an annual rent of 12 gold coins. The cemetery itself was established a year later, in 1777, and burials continued uninterrupted until the outbreak of the Second World War. The grounds were expanded in 1827 and today cover just under 3,000 square meters.

What has survived to this day?

Around 190 to 200 gravestones and fragments remain, most of them in baroque and classicist style. The oldest legible inscriptions date back to the late 18th century, making this cemetery one of the more significant surviving records of Jewish presence in the region. In 1941 the site was vandalized by a Hitlerjugend group, leaving lasting damage to many of the tombstones. Of the former ceremonial hall, mainly the perimeter wall survives — the building itself lost its roof, which was only partially rebuilt in the mid-1990s.

Who takes care of the cemetery today?

The site has been listed as a cultural monument since 1958. It is currently in the care of the Jewish community of Prague, with gradual restoration work continuing over the years. Conservation efforts focus on stabilizing the gravestones and maintaining the enclosing wall, so that the site remains a legible trace of the Jewish diaspora's history in the Posázaví region.

Frequently asked questions

Is the cemetery open to visitors? The grounds can be viewed from outside and within the wall, but as a religious and historical site it calls for quiet, respectful visits without disturbing the gravestones.

How do you get to the cemetery? The best starting point is Divišov, from where the cemetery lies about 2 km to the northeast, near the crossroads toward Měchnov and Šternov, close to the D1 motorway.

Why isn't the cemetery located directly in Divišov? Following the customs and legal restrictions of the time, Jewish cemeteries were typically established outside town and village boundaries, on leased land — hence its location in the fields once belonging to Michal Čejka of Olbramovice.

How many gravestones have survived? An estimated 190 to 200 tombstones and fragments remain, mostly in baroque and classicist style, with the oldest legible dates going back to the late 18th century.