New Jewish cemetery in Švihov

The New Jewish Cemetery in Švihov is a small but historically significant burial ground located roughly 200 meters east of the town's Old Jewish Cemetery, just past a railway viaduct on the left side of the road leading from Švihov toward Kamýk. The site served the local Jewish community for more than six decades before the Holocaust brought its use to an end.

When was the cemetery established?

The cemetery was founded around the 1870s, though records differ on the exact year — some sources cite 1872, others 1878. Whatever the precise date, it was created because the older Jewish cemetery in Švihov had become full and the community needed additional burial space.

How long was the cemetery in use?

Burials continued here until the late 1930s, with the last interments taking place shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. This means the cemetery documents the presence of Švihov's Jewish community right up until the eve of the Holocaust, which subsequently destroyed the community that had maintained it.

What has survived on the grounds?

Covering an area of 1,475 square meters, the cemetery today preserves just over thirty tombstones. The oldest legible one dates to 1893, while the newest are from the 1930s. This relatively small number of surviving markers, set against decades of active use, reflects a pattern common to many Jewish cemeteries in the Czech lands: numerous stones were lost or destroyed over the ensuing decades, particularly after the community that once cared for them was annihilated during the war.

How is the cemetery laid out?

The entrance lies on the western side of the grounds, while the graves themselves occupy only a comparatively small eastern portion of the site. This layout suggests that the western part may have been intended for future expansion — burials that never took place once the local Jewish community ceased to exist.

What changes has the site undergone in modern times?

A mortuary building that once stood on the grounds was demolished after 1981. In 1992, the overall area of the cemetery was reduced. Such reductions were not uncommon for Jewish cemeteries across the Czech Republic in the postwar decades, when sites left without a resident community to maintain them were often reorganized or scaled back.

Who maintains the cemetery today?

Like the neighboring Old Jewish Cemetery in Švihov, the New Jewish Cemetery falls under the care of the Jewish religious community of Plzeň, which is responsible for the site's upkeep and for preserving the remaining tombstones for future generations.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors access the New Jewish Cemetery in Švihov? The cemetery sits on the edge of town near the municipal cemetery and can be visited as part of the region's cultural heritage.

How does it differ from the Old Jewish Cemetery in Švihov? The Old Cemetery is considerably older and contains a richer collection of Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical tombstones, whereas the New Cemetery dates only to the 19th century and was used until the late 1930s, when the Holocaust abruptly ended the history of the local Jewish community.

How many tombstones remain at the site? Just over thirty tombstones survive across the 1,475 square meter grounds, with the oldest legible stone dating back to 1893.