Jewish cemetery in Staré Město pod Landštejnem

The Jewish cemetery in Staré Město pod Landštejnem is a historic burial ground located on the northern edge of the village, near the Pstruhovec stream, on a small, sheltered hill known as Hadí vrch (Snake Hill). The site sits in open fields, roughly 80 meters west of the road leading from the village toward a nearby dam, in the Vysočina region close to the Austrian border.

Origins of the cemetery

A Jewish community settled in the area as early as the 17th century, and it was during this period that the cemetery was founded. While most of the surviving tombstones date from the first half of the 18th century, the oldest identified gravestone bears the date 1610 — suggesting that burials on the site may predate the cemetery's formal establishment, or that this particular stone was relocated from an earlier burial ground. The cemetery served the Jewish community living in the eastern part of the Jindřichův Hradec region, including several neighboring towns.

Regional context

Staré Město pod Landštejnem was one of several settlements in the Jindřichův Hradec region with an established Jewish presence before the Holocaust. After the Second World War, little remained of this heritage beyond the abandoned synagogues in Jindřichův Hradec and Telč, and a handful of surviving cemeteries — including those in Markvarec, Dolní Bolíkov, Nová Bystřice, and Staré Město pod Landštejnem itself. The destruction of the region's Jewish population during the Holocaust brought an end to the continuous local care the cemetery had once received.

Damage and present-day custodianship

The cemetery suffered serious damage during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, when many tombstones were vandalized or lost. For decades afterward, the site remained largely overlooked, overshadowed by the region's difficult wartime history. Today, responsibility for the cemetery's upkeep and gradual restoration rests with the Jewish Community of Prague, which oversees numerous abandoned Jewish cemeteries across the Czech Republic that no longer have a local congregation to care for them.

What to know before visiting

Set in a quiet rural area far from major tourist routes, the cemetery is likely to appeal most to visitors interested in Czech Jewish history, genealogy, or the lesser-known heritage sites of the Vysočina region, rather than to casual sightseers. As a historic burial site, it calls for the same quiet respect expected at any cemetery. Because it sits on a hillside in open farmland, the most practical way to reach it is by car, following the road that connects the village with the nearby dam.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Jewish cemetery in Staré Město pod Landštejnem established? The local Jewish community founded it in the 17th century, though the oldest surviving tombstone dates to 1610, and most gravestones date from the first half of the 18th century.

Where exactly is the cemetery located? On the northern edge of the village, on the Hadí vrch hill near the Pstruhovec stream, about 80 meters west of the road leading toward a nearby dam.

Has the cemetery survived in good condition? No — it was seriously damaged during the Nazi occupation. It is now maintained by the Jewish Community of Prague.

Why is this site historically significant? It is one of the few remaining traces of the Jewish community that once lived in the Jindřichův Hradec region and was destroyed in the Holocaust, alongside similar cemeteries in Markvarec, Dolní Bolíkov, and Nová Bystřice, and the abandoned synagogues in Jindřichův Hradec and Telč.