This cemetery probably functioned from the early years of the 19th century until the early 1930s. Preserved fragments of matzevot are an example of Jewish sepulchral art and the history of the town.

History of the structure

The first mentions of Jews living in Otmuchów date back to the end of the 14th century, it was not a numerous group. However, in the following centuries the Jews of Otmuchów were harassed and expelled from the town. The Jewish community revived in Otmuchów in the first half of the 19th century. In 1845, 37 Jews lived in Otmuchów (about 1.5% of the total population) and an independent Jewish community with a house of prayer and a Jewish school was established in 1850. With the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century the number of Jewish inhabitants gradually decreased: in 1930 there were 10 Jews. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries many Jews from Otmuchów emigrated to bigger cities (Nysa, Wrocław, Berlin). As a result, in 1925 the community lost its independent status and became a branch of the Nysa community. Since the middle of the 19th century there was a synagogue in the town. It was built at today’s A. Mickiewicza Street, there is a bus stop there now. The synagogue was burned during “Kristallnacht” and then demolished.

The cemetery was established in the early years of the 19th century and was used by Jews until the early 1930s. In 1939 the cemetery became the property of the Association

of Jews in Germany (Reichsvereinigung der Juden) and in 1943 it was taken over by the Gestapo. During World War II the cemetery was destroyed and further devastated in post-war years, the 1960s-80s: most probably some matzevot, especially marble and granite ones, were taken away and reused. In this way the cemetery was practically completely devastated. In 2003, during joint cleaning works of the cemetery carried out by Polish, Israeli, Czech and German youth, a brick wall was built in the south-western part, where a lapidarium for several fragments of matzevot was created, a stone information plaque about the cemetery and a commemorative “matzevah-type” stone plaque with inscriptions in Polish, Czech, German, English and Hebrew were erected with the following inscription: “Youth exchange. Everywhere, one is responsible for the other. Otmuchów, August 2003”. In 2018, it was found that the tombstones had been destroyed again: matzevot and their fragments lie scattered on the ground.

Probably the burials were not exhumed.

Description of the structure

The cemetery, which is the necropolis of the Jewish community in Otmuchów, is located in the town forest (in the past it was a breeding ground for pheasants and other wild birds, the so-called “pheasantry” Fasanerie), about 250 m west from the road to Nieradowice, on the eastern side of the walking path, on a gentle terrace of the Maciejowicki Stream. The present cemetery has a separate geodesic land plot no. 25/1 and occupies an area of about 3 acres. The historic boundaries of the cemetery are not known. A dozen graves are clearly drawn in the cemetery area and are arranged along a W-E line. Fragments of matzevot, their bases and grave frames can be seen throughout the area. The cemetery was established

in the first years of the 19th century. In 1984 there was a matzevah informing about the death of Jacob Schneider, dated 1819. It is the oldest preserved tombstone. The cemetery was used by Jews until the early 1930s.

The cemetery is devastated: it is overgrown with a dozen or so trees (50-70 years old ash trees and an older maple-sycamore) and grass. In the middle of the 1980s the area of the cemetery was cleaned up, the matzevot were put in order, the broken ones were restored and a tin information board was hung on a tree. In 2003 Polish, Israeli, Czech and German youths carried out joint cleaning works of the cemetery, a brick wall was built in the south-western part, where a lapidarium for several fragments of matzevot was created, a stone information plaque about the cemetery was erected and a commemorative “matzevah type” stone plaque was placed in front of the cemetery from the north-western side. In 2018, it was found that the tombstones had been destroyed again: matzevot and their fragments lie scattered on the ground.

There is no historical fence. There is a fence made of untrimmed boards nailed to posts, and on the south side, there is a fence of poles nailed to posts. The current entrance is from the walking path.

The cemetery was established in the first years of the 19th century. In 1984 there was a matzevah informing about the death of Jacob Schneider, dated 1819. It is the oldest preserved tombstone. Now only the bases of about a dozen graves and a few broken matzevot and dozens of fragments of different matzevot are left. An inventory in 1984 showed the existence of about 20 burials.

During the on-site visit in 2018, it was found that about 25 burial sites with matzevot (standing or lying) and their fragments have been preserved. On the matzevot there are inscriptions in Hebrew and German.

The Jewish cemetery is marked with a modern stone (granite) plaque from 2003 informing about the cemetery with an inscription “PLACE OF BURIAL OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE Patronage of the Lower Secondary School in Otmuchów”, an old tin plaque informing about the cemetery from 1984 with the inscription “PLACE OF BURIAL OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE” and a commemorative stone plaque of the “matzevah type” placed on a concrete plinth from 2003 (now destroyed).

The 2018 inspection revealed that the cemetery is well maintained and cared for. The patronage of the cemetery is held by the students of the local lower secondary school. However, its location outside the city limits makes vandalism highly likely. Traces of modern vandalism are visible in the cemetery: the glued matzevot were smashed again.

The site requires a professional inventory of graves and tombstones, as well as cleaning and conservation of the matzevot. Signposts indicating the way from the town centre to the Jewish cemetery should also be set up.

Visitor access: the monument is open to the public.

Author: Krzysztof Spychała, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Opole, 12-07-2018

Bibliography

• Borkowski M., Kirmiel A., Włodarczyk T., Śladami Żydów. Dolny Śląsk, Opolszczyzna, Ziemia Lubuska, Warsaw 2008, pp. 136-137;
• Burchard P., Pamiątki i zabytki kultury żydowskiej w Polsce, Warsaw 1990, p. 197;
• Cebulka W., Dzieje Żydów na Śląsku ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem Grodkowa i okolic od XII do XX wieku, Grodków 2009, p. 82;
• https://sztetl.org.pl/pl/miejscowosci/o/85-otmuchow/114-cmentarze/26877-cmentarz-zydowski-w-otmuchowie-ul-sienkiewicza (17.05.2023)
• http://amzpbig.com/maps/025_TK25/5569_Neisse_West_1938.jpg (17.05.2023)
• Archive of the Voivodeship Heritage Protection Office in Opole, cemetery card from 1984.