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Kazanow Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Poland
Region
Masovian Voivodeship
District
Zwolen
Settlement
Kazanów
Site address
Adjacent to 33, Batalionów Chłopskich Street. The Jewish cemetery is situated in a forest area behind the buildings at 38, Batalionów Chłopskich Street.
GPS coordinates
51.2769645, 21.4746344
Perimeter length
220 meters
Is the cemetery demolished
yes
Type and height of existing fence
There is a a decorative fragment of a brick fence (2m long) and a metal entrance gate with a star of David. A small part of the cemetery area is delineated with metal wires, attached to iron posts (2m high).
Preservation condition
Demolished Jewish cemetery that has not been built over
General site condition
The Jewish cemetery of Kazanów is situated in the forest area on the eastern outskirts of the village. The area is overgrown with trees and bushes; there is a small meadow inside the area, which is also overgrown with tall wild grasses. The cemetery has been demolished: no visible traces of cemetery existence have been preserved, nor have any tombstones and there is no memorial plaque.
Number of existing gravestones
No tombstones preserved.
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

The first records of Jews in Kazanów date to the first half of the 17th century, though significant development of Jewish settlement did not begin until the 19th century. In 1921, 336 Jews lived in the village (41.3% of the entire population), and by 1939 the number increased to 456. At the end of 1942, most of the Jewish inhabitants were killed by the Germans in Treblinka.
The cemetery is located approximately 450 m north-east of the town centre, and approximately 60 m north of Batalionów Chłopskich Street, near the property at 33 Batalionów Chłopskich Street. The cemetery covers an irregularly shaped plot of land and is located within the geodesic plot number 1.640, with an area of 7758 square metres. The cemetery’s establishment date is unknown. The existence of the cemetery was recorded in a visit report from the local Catholic parish in 1711. In 1926 the Jewish community built a fence around the cemetery. The destruction of the cemetery likely began during World War II and continued through the following decades. On August 10, 1962, the Presidium of the Municipal National Council in Kazanów adopted a resolution to close the 0.7 hectares cemetery and use it for other purposes. The ordinance was signed by the Minister of Municipal Economy on June 26, 1964. The attached documentation stated: “The cemetery is fully devastated. […] The former cemetery area is intended for tree planting.”
The foundations of only single broken tombstones have survived. The borders of the cemetery are partially visible due to the remains of the earth trenches, which can be viewed using LIDAR technology. The area is covered with trees and grass. On the south side, there is a symbolic gateway built in 1982 in the form of a brick wall with a place for a plaque and an iron gate, the top of which visually references the menorah. The cemetery is listed in the Register of Immovable Monuments of the Masovian Voivodeship (entry no. 467 / A / 91 of November 5, 1991).

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