Jewish cemetery in Osek

The Jewish cemetery in Osek is a small, wooded burial ground tucked away on the southeastern edge of the village of Osek, near the ruins of a summer manor house on Kamýk hill, not far from Rokycany in the Czech Republic. Quiet and largely unmarked, it holds one of the more unexpected literary connections in the region — the grandparents of Franz Kafka, Jakub and Františka Kafka, are buried here, and Kafka's father Hermann was born in nearby Osek.

When was the cemetery founded?

The cemetery most likely dates back to the 18th century. It served not only the Jewish residents of Osek itself but also Jewish communities from surrounding villages, including Rokycany, Bušovice, Volduchy and other nearby settlements that had no burial ground of their own. Rokycany only established its own Jewish cemetery toward the end of the 19th century; before that, its Jewish community was buried in Osek.

What remains today?

Around fifty gravestones have survived, the oldest dating to roughly 1793. Remnants of a boundary wall and the ruins of a former mortuary house are also still visible on the site. The cemetery is overgrown with forest, giving it a raw, contemplative atmosphere quite different from the more curated Jewish heritage sites found elsewhere in the Czech Republic — there is no signage, no visitor infrastructure, and no marked paths.

Who manages the site?

The cemetery belongs to the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic and is freely accessible to visitors without prior arrangement or a guide, making it an approachable stop for anyone interested in the region's Jewish history or in tracing the Kafka family's roots.

Why is it worth visiting?

Beyond its historical value and genealogical link to Franz Kafka, the Osek cemetery is a good example of a typical small, rural Central European Jewish burial ground — modest, hidden among trees, and quietly testifying to a Jewish community that once lived in this part of the Czech countryside. For anyone drawn to historic cemeteries or lesser-known literary trails, it makes for an interesting detour near Rokycany and Plzeň.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the Osek cemetery located? On the southeastern edge of the village of Osek, in a wooded area near the ruins of the manor house on Kamýk hill, a few kilometers from Rokycany.

Is the cemetery open to the public? Yes, it belongs to the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic and can be freely visited.

How many gravestones have survived? Around fifty, the oldest dating from approximately 1793.

What is the cemetery's connection to Franz Kafka? The writer's grandparents, Jakub and Františka Kafka, are buried here — the Kafka family, including his father Hermann, came from nearby Osek.