Grabow Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Poland
Region
Lodzkie Voivodeship
District
Łęczyca
Settlement
Grabów
Site address
The cemetery is located on Kośniewicka Street, Grabów. About 500 meters from the crossroad with Adama Mickiewicza and Krośniewicka streets.
GPS coordinates
52.1328031, 19.0160894
Perimeter length
369 metres
Is the cemetery demolished
no
Type and height of existing fence
No fence
Preservation condition
Demolished Jewish cemetery that has not been built over
General site condition
The area of the cemetery is very transformed, the western part of the cemetery has been partially built-up and is now private property. There is something like a tombstone in the cemetery, however its is not confirmed to be a tombstone. It is not possible to enter the cemetery because it is extremely overgrown. There are pillars that may have once been part of the former fence.
Number of existing gravestones
1. No access to the tombstone due to the high and dense vegetation growing on the cemetery. The photo was taken from a drone.
Date of oldest tombstone
N/A
Date of newest tombstone
N/A
Urgency of erecting a fence
High
Land ownership
Other
Preserved construction on site
No
Drone surveys
Yes

Historical overview

Grabów was granted town rights in 1372, and its foundation status was downgraded in 1870. The first records of Jewish settlement in Grabów date to 1764. At that time, the community belonged to the religious community in Łęczyca. In 1800, 146 Jews lived in the town, constituting 45.6% of the total population. By 1921, the Jewish community numbered 915 people, constituting almost half of the total population of the town. During World War II, in April 1942, all the Jews from Grabów were transported to the extermination camp in Chełmno nad Nerem.

The cemetery’s exact establishment date is unknown, though it was most likely established in the 19th century. The cemetery is located on the western side of the road to Krośniewice, about 350 metres from the intersection of Krośniewicka Street and Ogrodowa Street, behind the closed Evangelical cemetery. It covers a plot of approximately 50 acres. The cemetery is completely destroyed and no matzevot have survived. The area is overgrown with very dense bushes, making it impossible to reach some parts of the cemetery. Thanks to the efforts of Łucja Nowak—the former director of the District Museum in Konin—a stone obelisk with a plaque displaying information about the Jewish cemetery was erected in the area.