Jewish cemetery in Úštěk

The Jewish cemetery in Úštěk ranks among the oldest and best-preserved sites of Jewish funerary heritage in northern Bohemia. It sits on a hillside on the edge of the town, on ground that once served as an execution site before the burial ground was established — a past still echoed in the hill's local name, referencing the gallows once erected there. The cemetery most likely dates from the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, although the oldest legible tombstones belong to the second half of the 17th century. Over the following centuries the grounds were expanded several times to accommodate not just the Jewish community of Úštěk itself but also Jewish families from surrounding estates and villages.

What makes this cemetery worth a visit?

Spread across several thousand square meters, the site preserves roughly three hundred tombstones, carved mostly from local sandstone and granite. Many display classic Hebrew funerary symbolism — priestly blessing hands, Levite pitchers, Stars of David — alongside inscriptions commemorating the deceased. The graves are arranged in dense rows across the slope, and their varying ages let visitors trace several centuries of local Jewish history, from the era when the dead of neighboring estates were brought here for burial through to the final interments shortly before the outbreak of World War II.

What happened to the cemetery in the 20th century?

Burials continued here until the late 1930s. After 1938, as the local Jewish community was persecuted and deported, the cemetery fell into neglect. Conditions worsened further in the postwar decades, and by the 1980s authorities were even considering its complete demolition — the surrounding wall and the ceremonial hall were torn down, and some tombstones were sold off or relocated. Total destruction was averted thanks to intervention from the heritage protection office and the Jewish community of Prague, which opposed any further demolition.

How was the site restored?

Initial clean-up efforts began in the early 1990s, followed by a systematic, multi-year restoration launched in 2001 under the guidance of the Prague Jewish community. Volunteers from numerous countries, including Japan, took part in the conservation work, making the site a notable example of international engagement with Central European Jewish heritage. Since 2004, care of the cemetery and the neighboring synagogue has been managed by a dedicated local association established specifically for that purpose.

What can visitors see on site today?

The grounds are enclosed by a wall and accessible through a gate, with information panels marking the site and a QR code available for visitors who want additional historical background on their phones. Walking among the terraced rows of tombstones on the hillside, visitors can observe the shifting styles across the centuries — from plain, austere slabs to more elaborately carved 19th-century matzevot. The atmosphere is quiet and contemplative, rarely crowded, which makes it an ideal spot for unhurried exploration and reading the surviving inscriptions.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an entrance fee? The cemetery is open to the public and free to visit.

How many tombstones have survived? Around three hundred matzevot remain today, though historically the number of burials was considerably higher.

Are there other Jewish heritage sites nearby? Yes — Úštěk itself has a former synagogue, now used for exhibitions and educational purposes, which is historically closely tied to the cemetery.

Who maintains the cemetery today? Since 2004, a local association dedicated to preserving the Úštěk synagogue and cemetery has overseen its upkeep, working together with the Prague Jewish community.