Donja Dubrava Jewish Section within Municipal Cemetery

Donja Dubrava is a town and municipality in Međimurje County. The earliest record of Donja Dubrava dates back from the 16th century and in 1660 a castle was built in the area. At the end of the 17th century, the castle was captured and destroyed during the Ottoman invasion. In the 19th century, the population of Donja Dubrava grew considerably due to the establishment of local woodworking factories in the area. In 1910, there were 3734 people living in the town, most of whom were Croatians. The former Jewish population of Donja Dubrava was very small and belonged to the community of nearby Krizevci.

In 1931, there were only 20 Jews living in Donja Dubrava. One of the most famous Jews from Donja Dubrava is Hungarian poet, translator and journalist Somlvo Zoltan (1882-1937). During his life, he wrote poetry for many Hungarian newspapers and published about twenty volumes of poetry and short stories. Gaining inspiration from his childhood home and upbringing, his work coupled his innermost feelings with an unconscious understanding of the hardships of Jewish history. Many of his poems highlighted contemporary Jewish feeling and were very popular at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Jewish cemetery of Donja Dubrava existed until 1994 as part of the local cemetery. It contained just a few gravestones, the first dating back to 1876 and the last to 1945.