New Jewish cemetery in Hodonín

The New Jewish Cemetery in Hodonín sits behind a brick wall on the eastern edge of town, at the end of Purkyňova street, right next to the municipal cemetery. Unlike most historic Jewish burial grounds in the region, it wasn't founded through the community's own gradual growth — it was established on the orders of the German occupying authorities in 1939, at a moment when the town's much older Jewish cemetery in the center was slated for closure.

Why was the cemetery founded at such a difficult moment?

The Jewish presence in Hodonín stretches back centuries: a community is already documented there in 1648, described as having existed "for many years." By 1688 the town's Jewish quarter held thirty houses and a synagogue, yet in 1774 the entire community of 415 people was expelled from Hodonín. It wasn't until Joseph II's reforms that thirteen families were permitted to resettle. From there the community rebuilt steadily, growing to 433 people by 1869 and 976 by 1900. That nineteenth-century growth meant the old cemetery in the town center could no longer easily accommodate the community, and its fate was sealed once the occupation authorities ordered its closure just before the outbreak of the Second World War.

What survives on the cemetery grounds today?

The site covers roughly 1,400 square meters. Alongside its newer graves, it holds several dozen tombstones dating back to the eighteenth century — these were not originally placed here but relocated between 1974 and 1980 from the old Jewish cemetery in Hodonín's center as that older site was being cleared. As a result, this relatively young cemetery actually preserves physical traces spanning several centuries of the local Jewish community's history.

A central feature of the site is a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, unveiled in 1960. It stands as a reminder of the Hodonín Jewish community, which ceased to exist in 1940 — barely a year after the cemetery itself was established.

What has changed at the site in recent decades?

At the start of the 21st century, the cemetery underwent a thorough restoration: the surrounding brick wall was rebuilt and the grounds were tidied up. Thanks to this work, the site remains in good condition today and continues to serve as a tangible record of the region's Jewish history.

Frequently asked questions

Is the cemetery open to the public? No, the site is kept locked. A key can be borrowed on weekdays from the administration of the adjacent municipal cemetery.

Where exactly is the cemetery located? It lies about 2 km northeast of the central Masarykovo náměstí square, at the end of Purkyňova street, directly next to the town's Christian municipal cemetery.

Where do the oldest tombstones on the site come from? Several dozen of the oldest tombstones, dating to the 18th century, were moved here between 1974 and 1980 from Hodonín's old Jewish cemetery, which was being closed down in the town center.

When was the cemetery founded, and why then specifically? It was established in 1939 on the orders of the German occupying authorities, in connection with the planned closure of the older Jewish cemetery in central Hodonín.

What does the memorial on the cemetery grounds commemorate? The memorial, unveiled in 1960, honors the victims of the Holocaust from Hodonín's Jewish community, which ceased to exist in 1940.