Drobin Old Jewish Cemetery

The old Jewish cemetery of Drobin was founded in the mid-18th century in the center of the Jewish quarter, near the synagogue complex and mikvah. It was in use at least until the second half of the 19th century. It was destroyed during the Second World War as the Germans organized a military training ground on its premises. All the tombstones were used for paving the streets. After the war, the necropolis was subject to further devastation. A sports field has now been established in the cemetery.

Drobin was granted town rights in 1511. Until the 18th century, it belonged to the Kryski family. Jews began to settle there in the second half of the 17th century. In 1757, there was an independent Jewish community already in Drobin. In 1794, Jews constituted 55% of the total population, and in 1808 – over 90%. In 1921, the community numbered 1,095 people, which made up 45% of the total population. During World War II, there was a ghetto and a labor camp in the town. In 1941, about 50% of the Jews were transported to Działdowo and then to Piotrków Trybunalski. Most of them died at Auschwitz. In December 1942, 700 people were relocated to the ghetto in Nowe Miasto near Płońsk, and the rest to the ghetto in Strzegów. Approximately 50-60 Jews from Drobin survived the war. The murder of a Jewish family in 1945 in nearby Raciąż prevented the surviving community from returning to their former hometown.