New Jewish cemetery in Hostouň

The New Jewish cemetery in Hostouň is one of the better-preserved remnants of the once-active Jewish community in Central Bohemia. It sits on Na Obci street, roughly 300 meters northeast of the town's older, no-longer-used Jewish cemetery. The site is freely accessible and can be visited without prior arrangement.

When was the cemetery founded?

The new cemetery began operating in 1848, exactly when burials at Hostouň's old Jewish cemetery came to an end. A ceremonial hall (beit tahara), used for the ritual preparation of the deceased before burial, was built on the grounds at the same time the cemetery was established. Its creation was therefore a direct response to the older cemetery running out of space, ensuring the local Jewish community had continued room for burials.

How many gravestones survive, and from what period?

Around 340 gravestones remain on the site. The oldest date to 1856 and the most recent to 1936, spanning nearly eighty years of the local Jewish community's history. Among them, the gravestone of Kladno surgeon Bernard Stern, who died in 1876, stands out for its Latin-language epitaph — an unusual choice on Jewish cemeteries, where inscriptions were typically written in Hebrew or German. Another notable monument is a stele topped with the figure of an angel, an atypical form for traditional Jewish funerary art that reflects the influence of the surrounding Christian culture on local burial customs.

Who is buried here?

Besides Bernard Stern, the cemetery holds the graves of relatives of Ota Pavel, one of the most celebrated Czech writers of the 20th century, best known for autobiographical prose about his childhood along the rivers of Central Bohemia. The presence of family graves connected to such a well-known figure illustrates how deeply woven the Jewish community of Hostouň was into the life of the region, even though the congregation itself was never among the country's largest.

What condition is the cemetery in today?

The site is protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic. Since the mid-1990s, conservation work has been ongoing: gravestones that had toppled over time are gradually being re-erected, and repairs to the surrounding boundary wall have also been carried out. This work remains unfinished, which is why the cemetery has stayed openly accessible, without a locked gate or permanent supervision.

Why is it worth visiting?

The New Jewish cemetery in Hostouň is more than a memorial site — it is also a valuable record of 19th-century Central European stonemasonry and funerary art. The variety of gravestone forms, from traditional matzevot to unconventional figurative steles, allows visitors to trace how local burial customs and tastes evolved over nearly a century. For anyone interested in the history of Jews in the Czech lands or in family genealogy, the site holds significant documentary value.

Frequently asked questions

Is the cemetery open to the public? Yes, it can be visited independently, without booking a guide or tour in advance.

How many gravestones have survived? About 340 gravestones remain, dating from 1856 to 1936.

Are any notable people buried here? Yes, including surgeon Bernard Stern and relatives of writer Ota Pavel.

Is the cemetery well maintained? Conservation work has been underway since the 1990s, but it is not yet complete, and the site remains openly accessible.