Obj. ID: 52286
Jewish Funerary Art  Old Jewish cemetery in Koszalin, Poland

According to ESJF European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative, at the end of the 17th and 18th centuries, the first Jewish inhabitants of Koszalin buried their dead in the cemetery in Szczecinek, Popielewo, or in the municipal cemetery. The Jewish cemetery in Koszalin was probably established at the beginning of the second half of the 18th century. Documents from 1752 mention that a Jewish gravedigger lived in Koszalin.

The cemetery was established at Badgasse (today, near Orla and Rzeczna streets), near the Dzierżęcinka River. It was also used by the Jewish community from Sianów, 10 km away, as well as from other nearby towns.
Before the war, it occupied an area of 4 acres. This area has remained unchanged to this day. The first confirmed burial in this cemetery is not known until 1812. The last funeral took place in 1906, after which the cemetery was closed.
In the 1930s, there was one tombstone in the former cemetery, dating from the period between 1819 and 1840. The remaining sandstone matzevot dating back to 1840 fell apart or were illegible. There were about 20 of these. In total, about 250 people were buried in the cemetery. On November 10, 1938, during Kristallnacht, the necropolis was demolished.

In 2000, a photographer from Koszalin, Zdzisław Pacholski, found a matzevah in the river, on which the name of David Baruch and the dates 16.07.1840–18.03.1879 could be read. It is the only matzevah from Koszalin that has been preserved in its entirety. The monument was moved to the Koszalin Museum, and in the summer of 2005 it returned to the cemetery. The cleaning up and fencing of the cemetery was then undertaken by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland in agreement with the city authorities. A monument and an information board have been erected on its site.

The cemetery is fenced with a low metal mesh fence (height about one meter).

The cemetery is located at the end of Orla Street by the Dzierżęcinka river. Access is through the gate from the side of Orla Street side (south-east side of the cemetery area). Cadastral parcels no. 326101_1.0026.18/3; 326101_1.0026.11/8