Obj. ID: 49514
Jewish Funerary Art Old Jewish cemetery in Lublin, Poland - ESJF documentation, 2020
To the main object: Old Jewish cemetery in Lublin, Poland
The cemetery is irregularly shaped (as it sits on a hill) and covers an area of 2.5 hectares. It is enclosed by a 3 m high stone and brick wall from the 17th century and is covered with various trees and shrubs. Over 200 matzevot and parts of tombstones have survived, including 14 from the 16th century (the oldest from 1541). The tombstones are traditional stelae made of limestone, sandstone, and granite. Among them are excellent examples of Renaissance and Baroque stonework. The tombstones commemorating eminent scholars, marshals of Waad Arba Aracot, and the famous rabbis have survived.
sub-set tree:
According to ESJF European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative, the exact establishment date of the first Jewish cemetery in Lublin is unknown, though it was likely established in the first quarter of the 14th century on Grodzisko hill (where a stronghold was located previously) – approximately 900 meters from the Old Town Square and approximately 350 meters from the synagogue complex.
It was in use until 1831 when the new cemetery was opened. The cemetery functioned for so long because a second layer of soil was laid there.
During World War II, the Germans removed most of the tombstones and used them for construction. The funeral house was destroyed, and centuries-old trees were cut down as well.
Between 1946 and 1949, thanks to the Jewish Committee of the Lublin Landsmanshaft, the fence was repaired, and tombstones found outside the cemetery were brought back to the land. The area has been preserved entirely.
"Lublin Old Jewish Cemetery,"
The European Jewish
Cemeteries Initiative (ESJF), https://www.esjf-cemeteries.org/survey/lublin-old-jewish-cemetery/., https://www.esjf-cemeteries.org/ (accessed May 2, 2024)