The cemetery functioned from 1823 and the last burial took place at the beginning of World War II.

History of the structure

Probably the first Jewish community appeared in Praszka already in the Middle Ages (as in nearby Gorzów Śląski and Olesno). As the Jewish community in Praszka was very numerous (at the beginning of the 19th century it constituted about 25% and at the beginning of the 20th century about 45% of the town’s population), probably together with the construction of the synagogue (about 1820) a Jewish cemetery was established (about 1823), which was surrounded by a stone wall and a pre-burial house was built. However, the original layout of the cemetery is now unreadable. The necropolis is devastated and overgrown with self-sowing trees. In the 3rd quarter of the 20th century, several hundred of the existing matzevot were dismantled from their foundations and placed in the northern part of the cemetery among the trees. This probably saved these stelae from being stolen and destroyed. They currently lie covered with moss. This vast Jewish necropolis in Praszka included a mikvah and a pre-burial house. However, their location can only be shown by archaeological research.

In 1939, about 870 Jews lived in Praszka (about 23% of the town’s population), therefore most probably the last burials in the cemetery took place in the first years of World War II. Lack of access to the inscriptions on the matzevot makes it difficult to describe the history of the Praszka Jewish cemetery. In 1939 the cemetery became the property of the Association of Jews in Germany and later it was taken over by the Gestapo. It was destroyed during World War II. In the post-war years the cemetery was further devastated, and probably at that time some of the matzevot were used as building material.

The present area of the cemetery (about 1.25 ha) generally coincides with the area from the time when the necropolis was used. The historic fence of the cemetery has not survived.

In the southern part of the cemetery, by the fence with Kalwaria Praszkowska, there is a commemorative stone plaque. It is fenced with a low metal fence. On the plaque the Star of David is engraved, and under it the inscription: “MASS GRAVE OF THE VICTIMS OF NAZI TERROR, PRASZKA JEWS MURDERED IN AUGUST 1942 DURING THE LIQUIDATION OF THE GHETTO, IN HONOUR OF THEIR MEMORY PRASZKA 1993”. It commemorates the shooting of a group of Jews from the Praszka ghetto. According to archival information, during the years of the Polish People’s Republic, a stone with a commemorative plaque with the following inscription was originally placed on this mass grave of Jews shot on 12 August 1942: “Here lie the bodies of seventeen people of Jewish nationality, murdered on 12 August 1942 by the Nazis during the liquidation of the Praszka ghetto. In honour of their memory. ZBOWiD unit in Praszka”.

Description of the structure

The cemetery is located at the intersection of Kościuszki, Kardynała S. Wyszyńskiego and Obrońców Pokoju streets on land plot no. 70, on the northern slope of a large hill called the Brown Hill, which is a terrace of the Prosna river. The modern entrance to the necropolis is from the eastern side, i.e. from Kardynała S. Wyszyńskiego Street, through a narrow pathway behind the Marian shrine. It is a two-part gate in the shape of a matzevah made of profiled pipes. Above it, in a semi-circular top, is the inscription: “JEWISH CEMETERY”, made of metal. The two wings of the gate made of rods are also shaped like semi-circular matzevot. In the middle of their height are the Stars of David made in the metalwork technique.

The necropolis was established (probably around 1823), soon after the synagogue was built in 1820. The cemetery was surrounded by a stone wall and a pre-burial house was built on it. However, the original layout of the cemetery is now unreadable. The necropolis is devastated and overgrown with self-seeded trees (birches, maples, ashes, beeches) of different age (from several to several dozen years) and shrubs, ivy and grass. The western part is particularly overgrown. In the 2nd half of 20th century several hundreds of matzevot were disassembled from their foundation and deposited in the northern part of the cemetery among the trees. This probably saved these stelae from being stolen and destroyed. They currently lie covered with moss. In the area of the cemetery, among grass and leaves, scattered pieces of grave frames and matzevah bases as well as fragments of matzevot are visible.

This vast Jewish necropolis in Praszka included a mikvah and a pre-burial house. However, their location can only be shown by archaeological research.

A few hundred (about 350) matzevot lying on the ground and leaning against tree trunks have been preserved in four groups in the northern part of the cemetery. They were made mainly of sandstone, granite, crystalline limestone. They were all moved from their original burial sites and gathered in four groups of several dozen. Many matzevot are cracked and damaged, with destroyed inscriptions and corroded surfaces. In the western part of the cemetery there are about 20 brick burial chambers: empty, collapsed and probably looted (perhaps they were dug up earlier). Many fragments of matzevot, grave enclosures and plinths are scattered all over the cemetery, often under a layer of grass and leaves. The visible burial relics are oriented along an E-W line. During the 2018 site visit, it was found that the graves were overgrown with self-seeders, bushes and grass, and their quantity is difficult to verify.

Typical ornaments (e.g. a crown with lions, hands in a blessing gesture, flower (rose), broken candle) and inscriptions in Hebrew and German are visible on the examined matzevot. Lack of access to the inscriptions on the matzevot makes it difficult to describe the history of the Praszka Jewish cemetery. The necropolis was destroyed during World War II and in the post-war years the cemetery was further devastated. There are irregular paths in the area of the necropolis.

The original fence of the cemetery has not survived. Today, the necropolis has a modern fence: a fence made of metal flat bars on the south, a wire mesh fence on the east, near a recreational plot, and a wire mesh fence on the west, near the garages. To the north, the area is bounded by single-storey buildings of the Housing Cooperative in Praszka. In the southern part, along the fence made of flat bars, there is an earth embankment on which a fence (about 20 - 25 m long) of barbed wire attached to low metal posts embedded in the embankment is visible. It may be a fragment of the first post-war fence of the Jewish cemetery, from the side of the then agricultural fields, now the area of Kalwaria Praszkowska.

The cemetery requires identification of the layout and making a detailed inventory of several relics of brick graves existing in situ (perhaps ohels), the burials probably were not exhumed, as well as identification of the foundations of architectural objects. Fragments of matzevot and grave frames are scattered all over the area, probably lying in different places under a layer of soil, leaves and plants. Therefore, they should be collected and cleaned in the area of the cemetery. Several hundred matzevot placed in the northern part among the trees (in a secondary location), after analysis and conservation, should be used to create a kind of lapidarium dedicated to the former, forgotten residents of Praszka. It is also necessary to mark the cemetery with an information board at the entrance and on the street.

Vegetation has completely engulfed the necropolis area, especially the western and southern parts. Greenery in the area of the cemetery should be tidied up: self-seeders and bushes should be cut and sanitary pruning of the trees should be made. In order to restore the appearance of the cemetery area, it is necessary to carry out cleaning and security works. Traces of modern vandalism are visible: broken matzevot and a memorial plaque, as well as garbage scattered all over the cemetery.

Visitor access: the monument is open to the public.

Author: Krzysztof Spychała, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Opole, 16.12.2018

Bibliography

• Burchard P., Pamiątki i zabytki kultury żydowskiej w Polsce, Warszawa 1990, p. 134;
• Nad górną Prosną. Monografia Praszki, ed. T. Krzemiński, Łódź 1999, pp. 429-430;
• https://sztetl.org.pl/pl/miejscowosci/p/67-praszka/114-cmentarze/28749-cmentarz-zydowski-w-praszce-ul-wyszynskiego (18.05.2023)
• http://radio.opole.pl/100,195480,zydowski-cmentarz-w-praszce-zostal-uporzadkowany (18.05.2023)
• http://www.nto.pl/wiadomosci/olesno/a/praszka-pamieta-o-swoich-zydach-zdjecia,11918527/ (18.05.2023)
• https://sztetl.org.pl/pl/miejscowosci/p/67-praszka/99-historia-spolecznosci/137883-historia-spolecznosci (18.05.2023)
• Archive of the Voivodeship Heritage Protection Office in Opole:

- file containing the decision on entry into the register of historic monuments no. A/500/89:

- record sheet of the cemetery from 1987