Jewish cemetery in Zlonice

The Jewish cemetery in Zlonice stands as one of the best-preserved remnants of the once-thriving Jewish community of the Slaný region, located southeast of the small town of Zlonice, along the road toward the villages of Beřovice and Břešťany in the Kladno district of Central Bohemia.

Why did a Jewish community form in Zlonice?

For a long period, Jews were barred from settling in the royal town of Slaný, which pushed Jewish settlement toward nearby subject towns such as Zlonice instead. A prayer room is known to have existed there before 1747, and the cemetery itself is first documented in written records from 1703 — though local historians believe it is likely older than that date suggests.

What survives on the site today?

The burial ground covers a plot of 1,709 square meters and holds roughly 120 surviving gravestones, most carved from sandstone. The oldest of these date back to the second half of the 18th century. Next to the cemetery gate stands a pre-burial house, which once doubled as the gravedigger's residence. No mass graves are known to exist within the grounds.

What changed in 1892?

A turning point in the cemetery's history came in 1892, when Prince Ferdinand Kinský purchased adjoining land, allowing the burial ground to be expanded. This expansion meant the cemetery could keep serving the community for several more decades, with burials continuing right up until World War II, an event that violently ended the story of the local Jewish community.

Who looks after the cemetery now?

The property belongs to the Jewish Community of Prague, which also funds a caretaker responsible for its upkeep. Despite this care, the site has not been free of trouble: it has suffered occasional vandalism, and uncontrolled public access has posed a recurring risk. Local municipal authorities, working alongside Jewish organizations in the country, have repeatedly cleared overgrown vegetation and installed a new fence to protect the site. The surrounding wall, the gate, and the pre-burial house have all been renovated in recent years, leaving the cemetery in noticeably better condition than it was a couple of decades ago.

Why is it worth a visit?

Beyond its role as a place of remembrance, the cemetery in Zlonice is a valuable window into the region's past. Despite more than two and a half centuries of weathering, the sandstone gravestones still carry legible inscriptions and symbols that trace the lives of successive generations of the local Jewish community. It is a quiet, modest site set away from the main tourist routes, but it rewards anyone with an interest in the history of Jewish settlement in Central Bohemia.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the cemetery located? Southeast of Zlonice, along the road to Beřovice, near Břešťany, roughly a kilometer from the main road.

How many gravestones remain? About 120, mostly sandstone, with the oldest dating from the second half of the 18th century.

Who manages the cemetery? The Jewish Community of Prague, which pays for a caretaker and oversees its maintenance.

Can the cemetery be visited? Yes, the grounds are fenced and protected but accessible to visitors interested in its history and funerary architecture.