New Jewish cemetery in Pardubice

The New Jewish Cemetery in Pardubice is the still-preserved burial ground of the town's Jewish community, established in 1883 in the Jesenčany district. Although it sits right next to the crematorium and main avenues of the city's Central Cemetery, it forms a separate, fenced section with its own history, maintained by the local Jewish community.

Why was a new cemetery needed in 1883?

Pardubice's earlier Jewish burial ground dated back to 1624, near the old Židov street, and had served the community for almost 260 years. As the town expanded rapidly toward the end of the 19th century, municipal authorities set aside a larger burial site on the southern edge of Pardubice, in the Jesenčany area — around the same time a new Christian central cemetery was being laid out nearby. The old Jewish cemetery was closed to new burials, and its role was taken over by this new site.

What can visitors see on the grounds today?

The New Jewish Cemetery holds more than 400 gravestones, arranged in ten rows. Among them are seven matzevot transferred from the older cemetery — the earliest surviving traces of Jewish presence in Pardubice, with the oldest dated to 1739. A ceremonial hall also stands on the grounds, historically used for burial rites by the community.

What happened to the old Jewish cemetery?

The story of the old cemetery's closure took longer to play out than one might expect. Town authorities began pushing for its removal as early as 1920, and the Jewish community itself did not object to the idea. Yet the actual transfer of remains and surviving tombstones to the new cemetery only took place in 1939 — just before the outbreak of war and the occupation that would soon violently cut short the history of the town's Jewish community.

How does the cemetery commemorate the Holocaust?

Along the eastern wall lies the grave of seven victims of a transport from the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp — a quiet but unmistakable trace of the tragedy that struck Pardubice's Jewish residents during the Second World War. The grounds also hold a memorial to the victims of Nazism, erected in 1948, shortly after the war, as a form of collective remembrance for those who did not survive the occupation.

How is it connected to the Central Cemetery in Pardubice?

The New Jewish Cemetery occupies the northeastern part of the same burial complex as the Central Cemetery, home to the well-known crematorium designed by Pavel Janák. Both sites were established at almost the same time, in the same part of town, but they function as distinct, separately enclosed spaces — one municipal and secular, the other religious and communal, each with its own burial customs and its own way of preserving memory.

Frequently asked questions

When was the New Jewish Cemetery in Pardubice established? In 1883, in the Jesenčany district on the southern edge of the town.

How many gravestones are on the site? More than 400 matzevot arranged in ten rows, including seven transferred from the older cemetery.

What is the oldest surviving gravestone? A tombstone moved from the old Jewish cemetery, dated 1739.

What happened to the town's older Jewish cemetery? It had been in use since 1624; its closure was first proposed in 1920, and the remaining tombstones and remains were transferred to the new cemetery in 1939.

Is there a Holocaust memorial on the grounds? Yes — the eastern wall holds the grave of seven victims of a transport from Auschwitz-Birkenau, alongside a memorial to Nazi victims erected in 1948.