At the end of 1775, they were forced to leave the town. The majority wanted to settle in Debrzno (German: Preußisch Friedland), 3 km away, but the municipal authorities refused to accept them. After refusing, they left for Kamień Pomorski.

After several years, the first Jewish family settled in Debrzno (Preußisch Friedland) in 1783. Jews lived in the town for the next century and a half. In 1803, they numbered 88, in the 1880s - 290, in 1885 - 262 (7.5%), in 1905 - 168 (2.5%), and in the 1920s - 118 (about 3% of the total population).

The Description

The cemetery in Debrzno Wieś (Dobrin), dating back to the 18th century, is located in the valley of the Debrzynka River flowing into the lake; it is also situated to the east of the road 188. It also belongs to the park, part of the 19th-century park and palace complex. The cemetery was intended for Jews from Debrzno Village and Lipka (Linde), with a small Jewish population until the 20th century (1885 - 12, i.e., 1.5%, 1905 - 18, i.e., 2%, 1910 - 11, i.e., 1.1%).

The necropolis was entered in the register of historical monuments on 16/12/1983 (No 496-A). At the inscription, the cemetery still had a well-preserved original layout and most of the grave slabs. The oldest was from the early 18th century, the youngest from the early 20th century. During a field inspection of the cemetery in 2018, it was dilapidated; more than a dozen gravestones and grave outlines remain. Thus, it can be assumed that most of the damage was done in the 1980s. It is known that in the early 1980s, tombstones made of valuable stone (mainly marble) were taken away, and some searched for gold in the graves. In the school year 2007/2008, the cemetery was cleaned up by Ireneusz Jablonski and Ryszard Bentkowski, together with the students of the Special Middle School at the Youth Cultural Centre in Debrzno ("To Bring Memory Back" educational programme of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland). Unfortunately, in June 2010, the cemetery was devastated again, with almost all matzevot overturned and some broken.

Today the cemetery covers an area of about 0.2 ha. The area is covered with old trees, mainly oak, the oldest in the whole park establishment. About 20 matzevot have survived, mostly in sandstone, with inscriptions in Hebrew. The oldest dates from 1715, and one of the youngest, belonging to Dorothea Jordan (born 3 March 1895 in Tuchola) - from June 1930. The cemetery land belongs to the State Forests.

Reference

• Dzieje miasta i gminy Debrzno, ed. M. Fryda, Pruszcz Gdański 2014.
• J. Zdrenka, Żydzi powiatu złotowskiego (1859) 1874-1945 / Juden des Landkreises Flatow (1859) 1874-1945, Złotów 2013.

Właściciel praw autorskich do opisu: Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN.