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Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Poland
Region
West Pomeranian Voivodeship
District
Drawsko Pomorskie
Settlement
Kalisz Pomorski
Site address
The Jewish cemetery in Kalisz Pomorski is located at the back of the house at 4, Drawska Street. Access to the cemetery is currently only from the bus station at 3, Toruńska Street. At the back of the station, there is a gap in the cemetery fence in its south-eastern corner, through which is possible to reach the necropolis with difficulty.
GPS coordinates
53.300459, 15.910804
Perimeter length
155 meters
Is the cemetery demolished
yes
Type and height of existing fence
The whole area is fenced but there is no entrance. Access is possible only through a gap in the cemetery fence, which is in the south-eastern corner of the cemetery area. The cemetery is mostly fenced with simple metal mesh, though part of the site has wooden fencing. The height of the fencing is about 1.7 meters. In the north-west part there is a small fragment of a concrete wall, possibly once belonging to the Jewish necropolis.
Preservation condition
Fenced and protected Jewish cemetery
General site condition
The area of the Jewish cemetery is fenced though there are no tombstones. The area is well-maintained, without litter and not overgrown. In the south-eastern corner of the necropolis, there are numerous pieces of brick and concrete rubble, which are probably the remains of an old fence, possibly also tombstones. The cemetery is not marked or commemorated in any form.
Number of existing gravestones
No tombstones preserved.
Date of oldest tombstone
N/A
Date of newest tombstone
N/A
Urgency of erecting a fence
Fence is not needed
Land ownership
Municipality
Preserved construction on site
No
Drone surveys
Yes

Historical overview

The Jewish cemetery in Kalisz Pomorskie was probably established in 1817 between Dramburgerstrasse (now Drawska Street) and Koppenberg (now Grunwaldzka Street). The Kalisz community already had a synagogue, although it was not very numerous. The community consisted of several families from the 18th century, which until then had been burying their dead in the Jewish cemetery in Mirosławiec. It was only after the emancipation edict of Frederick William III that the number of Jewish inhabitants of the city began to increase.

In the 1840s it reached almost 150 people, and in the second half of the century it started to decline again – in 1871, it was still 102 people, in 1895 it was only 43. However, the original area of ​​the cemetery soon turned out to be too small and was soon enlarged for the adjacent plot. In 1861, both parts of the necropolis were surrounded by a wall. It is estimated that about 200 people were buried in the Kalisz cemetery. The cemetery survived Kristallnacht, when the Kalisz synagogue was devastated and it avoided being set on fire only thanks to the proximity of other buildings and World War II. Only in the mid 1960s, most of the tombstones were removed from their places and stored at the edge of the cemetery and some were destroyed. Currently, it is an area partially overgrown with bushes, partially ordered, where no fragments of matzevot can be found. No marking.
(West Pomeranian Encyclopedia; http://pomeranica.pl)

In the spring of 2010, representatives of the Kalisz Historical and Cultural Association with Mjr. Andrzej Szutowicz from Drawno, found one whole tombstone underground and parts of several others with epitaphs in Hebrew and German.
(sztetl.org.pl)

Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
Kalisz Pomorski Jewish Cemetery
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