Gniewoszow (Regow Dolny) Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Poland
Region
Masovian Voivodeship
District
Kozienice
Settlement
Gniewoszów
Site address
The Jewish cemetery covers a wooded area behind the buildings at the intersection of Puławska Street and the main road Regów Nowy – Regów Stary. Turning north from Puławska Street onto Dolna Street and continue north until the crossroads, then turn right onto a village road, which goes east through the trees. The cemetery area starts at the end of the village road.
GPS coordinates
51.4705708, 21.8196201
Perimeter length
341 meters
Is the cemetery demolished
yes
Type and height of existing fence
There is a concrete wall with panels (2m high), installed by ESJF. The cemetery was fenced in 2016 by ESJF in cooperation with FODZ. The fence is seriously damaged and needs repair: several upper panels were ripped out in many places (near the entrance and along the entire perimeter).
Preservation condition
Fenced and protected Jewish cemetery
General site condition
The demolished Jewish cemetery is situated on a meadow, with rare trees growing in the cemetery area. The cemetery administratively belongs to the village Regów Nowy of rural gmina Gniewoszów. The site is not overgrown and is fenced as a Jewish cemetery. No traces of the cemetery have been preserved, nor have any tombstones. There is an information board near the entrance.
Number of existing gravestones
No tombstones preserved.
Date of oldest tombstone
N/A
Date of newest tombstone
N/A
Urgency of erecting a fence
Low
Land ownership
Municipality
Preserved construction on site
No
Drone surveys
No

Historical overview

Jewish settlement in Granica (later incorporated into Gniewoszów after World War II) began in the 18th century. In 1765, there were some small kehilla facilities in the village. In 1921, there were 651 Jewish residents in Granica (63.2% of the total population), the majority of whom were killed in 1942 by the Germans in Treblinka. The cemetery is located approximately 500 metres southeast of the town square, on a hill near Dolna Street, and occupies an irregularly shaped plot measuring approximately 0.6 hectares. The cemetery was most likely founded in the mid-18th century, in accordance with a by-law signed by the town’s owner on March 23rd, 1745, which included the location of the cemetery. During World War II, local residents began to destroy the area. Tombstones and parts of the wall were taken apart and used for construction purposes. All aboveground traces of the cemetery have since disappeared. The area was later used as pasture and as a limestone depot.

On June 22nd, 1964, the Minister for Local Economy—in accordance with the decree of the National Council Presidium of Gniewoszów from July 19th, 1957—signed a by-law commencing the closure of the cemetery. In the accompanying documentation it was stated that the last burial took place in 1945. In 1985, a single destroyed tombstone was found in the cemetery. In 2016 the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage working alongside the ESJF (European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative), using funds provided by the Federal Republic of Germany, enclosed the cemetery with a concrete fence. An informative plaque was placed by the entrance. In 2018, documentation showed the lack of the steel entrance gate, multiple points of damage to the fence, litter, and signs of previous bonfires. The cemetery is owned by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage. It is part of the local and voivodeship register of historical landmarks.