Old Jewish cemetery in Uherský Brod

The Old Jewish Cemetery in Uherský Brod is a quiet memorial site on a steep slope of the town's former fortification rampart, sandwiched between the old defensive wall and today's Pod Valy street in the southern part of town. Nothing here resembles a conventional cemetery with rows of headstones anymore, but the ground still carries traces of its past and remains freely open to visitors.

How old is this cemetery?

The exact founding date is unknown, but the oldest surviving gravestones dated from the early 17th century, showing that the local Jewish community was already burying its dead here well before any written record of the site appeared. Its position on the slope of the town rampart was typical for Jewish cemeteries of the era: usable land was scarce, and Jewish communities were often left with terrain less desirable for other purposes.

Why did burials stop here?

The cemetery served the Uherský Brod Jewish community for centuries, until around 1870, when a new Jewish cemetery was established roughly 600 meters to the northeast. From that point the old site gradually lost its function as a burial ground, even though the land itself remained in place.

What happened during the war?

The heaviest blow came during the German occupation, when the cemetery was seriously damaged, its gravestones smashed and scattered across the site. This was a common fate for small Jewish cemeteries across Moravia during that period, when burial grounds were an easy target for erasing traces of Jewish presence.

What became of the gravestones afterward?

After the end of the Second World War, the surviving tombstones — an estimated 80 of them — were moved to the newer Jewish cemetery in Uherský Brod. This preserved at least part of the historical material, even though the original burial site itself lost its original character in the process.

What does the site look like today?

Today only faint traces remain in the terrain — small depressions and irregularities in the ground that reveal little to the untrained eye about what once stood here. The broken and sunken gravestone fragments once visible on the site are no longer apparent. The area now has the character of a quiet green corner within the town, and it is freely accessible to anyone who wants to visit.

Why is it worth a visit?

The site's value is mostly symbolic and historical: it bears witness to a Jewish community present in Uherský Brod since at least the early 17th century, and to its tragic fate during the Second World War. For anyone interested in the history of Moravian Jewry, it makes a natural companion visit to the town's newer Jewish cemetery.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Old Jewish Cemetery in Uherský Brod open to the public? Yes, the site is freely accessible to visitors with no restrictions.

Are there any gravestones left on site? No — the surviving tombstones (around 80) were relocated after the war to the town's newer Jewish cemetery. Only faint terrain traces remain at the original location.

When was the cemetery founded? The exact founding date is unknown, but the oldest surviving gravestones dated from the early 17th century.

Why did the cemetery stop being used? Because a new Jewish cemetery was established around 1870 elsewhere in town, after which the old one gradually fell out of use.

What happened to the cemetery during the war? It was seriously damaged during the German occupation, with gravestones smashed and scattered.