Bychawa New Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Poland
Region
Lublin Voivodeship
District
Lublin
Settlement
Bychawa
Site address
76, Partyzantów Street.
GPS coordinates
51.007117, 22.530592
Perimeter length
203 metres
Is the cemetery demolished
yes
Type and height of existing fence
No fence
Preservation condition
Demolished Jewish cemetery that has not been built over
General site condition
No traces of the cemetery preserved. There are private buildings and gardens at the site.
Number of existing gravestones
No tombstone preserved.
Date of oldest tombstone
N/A
Date of newest tombstone
N/A
Urgency of erecting a fence
High
Land ownership
Private
Preserved construction on site
No
Drone surveys
No

Historical overview

The area for the new Bychawa cemetery was given to the Jewish community in 1910 and was located approximately 1 km south of the town centre, among farmlands. The land was rectangularly-shaped and comprised an area of approximately 0.6 hm (currently 0.53 hectares). A wooden structure was built in the cemetery, presumably for religious purposes or for storage. As late as the early 1940’s (as evinced by photographic evidence) the cemetery was surrounded by fields. During World War II, the cemetery was completely destroyed: the wooden structure was taken apart and the tombstones were used for construction purposes. After the War, the ruined cemetery was turned into farmland, for which it continues to be used until today. Currently the eastern part of the cemetery (near Partyzantów Street) is a garden with a wooden gazebo, and the rest, up until its western border and marked by a dirt road, is an orchard. The cemetery borders a farm, orchard, and arable land in the north and south. Any tombstones found in town are returned to the synagogue and the old cemetery. Matzevot from the new cemetery are fragmented, made of limestone and sandstone, and date to the 1920’s and 1930’s.