About this place
The Jewish cemetery in Nové Sedliště is one of the few remaining physical traces of a Jewish community that once lived in this part of western Bohemia. Tucked away on the edge of the village, in a valley below the local church, it draws visitors interested in regional history, genealogy, and the Jewish heritage of the former Bohemian-Bavarian borderlands.
When was the cemetery established?
The burial ground was most likely founded in the second half of the 17th century. This was a period when Jewish families settled in a number of towns and villages across western Bohemia, forming small but enduring trading and craft communities. The cemetery in Nové Sedliště served the local Jewish congregation for well over two centuries, remaining in use until the 1930s.
What survives at the cemetery today?
Around 180 tombstones have survived on the site. The oldest identified stone dates back to 1704, making it one of the earlier testimonies to Jewish presence in this region of Bohemia. Most of the preserved gravestones are Baroque and Classicist in style, their carved decorations and inscriptions offering historians and researchers insight into the families buried here and the burial customs of the community.
Was there also a synagogue in the village?
Yes. Nové Sedliště had a synagogue, built between 1786 and 1788, which served the local Jewish community until 1911. Together with the cemetery, it formed the religious and social center of Jewish life in the area. Today, the cemetery stands as the only lasting reminder of this chapter of local history — no other visible traces of the former Jewish settlement remain in the village.
Why is this site worth visiting?
The cemetery in Nové Sedliště is a quiet, contemplative place, set apart from the main tourist routes, which makes it an appealing destination for those seeking authentic, lesser-known corners of Czech history. For anyone interested in Jewish funerary epigraphy or the history of Jewish life in Central Europe, it offers a chance to see three-century-old gravestones in their original landscape setting — a secluded valley away from the village's built-up areas.
Frequently asked questions
How many tombstones remain at the cemetery? Around 180 gravestones survive, most of them Baroque and Classicist in style.
What is the oldest surviving tombstone? It dates from 1704.
When was the cemetery founded? Most likely in the second half of the 17th century.
Until when was the cemetery in use? Burials continued here until the 1930s.
Did a synagogue survive nearby? A synagogue built between 1786 and 1788 served the community until 1911; the cemetery is today the main material trace of Jewish presence in Nové Sedliště.
Where exactly is the cemetery located? On the western edge of the village, in a valley below the local church.
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