Jewish cemetery in Přestavlky

The Jewish cemetery in Přestavlky is a small, field-bound burial ground in the Chrudim region of eastern Bohemia, near the village of Zájezdec. Rarely visited and largely unmarked, it preserves the memory of a Jewish community that once thrived here before gradually fading away by the early twentieth century.

Where did this Jewish community come from?

Jewish presence in the Přestavlky and Zájezdec area is documented from the early eighteenth century, with the first records dating to 1724. The community grew over the following decades, reaching its peak before the mid-nineteenth century, when around thirty Jewish families lived in the area. During this period the local community maintained its own religious infrastructure, including a cemetery used for burials according to Jewish tradition.

The nineteenth century, however, brought a steady migration of Jewish residents toward larger towns and cities — a pattern common to many small rural Jewish communities across Bohemia at the time. The local congregation formally dissolved around 1894. By 1930, census records show only a single Jewish family of five remaining — a faint trace of what had once been a much larger community.

What does the cemetery look like today?

The burial ground was established in the eighteenth century, and its oldest surviving tombstones date from the end of that century, with one stone bearing the date 1789. The last burials likely took place in the early twentieth century, mirroring the community's declining numbers.

Somewhere between twenty and a hundred tombstones survive on the site today, roughly half of them still standing in their original position, while a bit more than a quarter have toppled over or been damaged. The stones are made of marble, granite, and sandstone — ranging from smoothly finished, inscribed flat markers to stones carved with relief decoration and larger multi-part monuments. Inscriptions appear in three languages — Hebrew, German, and Czech — reflecting the multilingual character of Central European Jewish communities of that era.

The cemetery carries no sign or information marker, and its isolated location amid open fields means it is easy to miss entirely. The surrounding wall has partly collapsed, leaving the site effectively open to visitors, though anyone entering should treat the burial ground with the respect due to a place of rest.

Is it worth visiting?

This site will appeal to those interested in the history of Jewish life in Bohemia and in the traces left behind by communities that gradually dispersed into larger urban centers. Unlike the famous, heavily visited Jewish cemeteries of Prague or Kolín, the cemetery in Přestavlky offers a quiet, understated encounter with the past — no crowds, no visitor infrastructure, just weathered stone bearing witness to a vanished community.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the cemetery located? Near the village of Přestavlky, in the Chrudim region of eastern Bohemia, not far from the village of Zájezdec and roughly a dozen kilometers from Pardubice.

How many tombstones have survived? An estimated twenty to a hundred, some of which are toppled or damaged.

Is the cemetery enclosed and protected? A wall surrounds the grounds, but it has partly collapsed, so access is effectively unrestricted — though there is no visitor infrastructure or signage.

When was the cemetery founded? In the eighteenth century; the oldest surviving tombstone bears the date 1789.

Are burials still held here? No — the last burials likely took place in the early twentieth century, after which the local Jewish congregation ceased to exist.