Konstantynow Lodzki Jewish Cemetery

Konstantynów Łódzki was founded in 1821 as a private factory settlement owned by Mikołaj Krzywiec-Okołowicz. The Jewish community was established in 1832. There was a synagogue, a house of study, a mikveh, a homeless shelter, and a cemetery. In 1827, the Jewish community numbered 516 people. 1,091 Jews lived in the town in 1897(19.5% of the total population), and 942 in 1921 (16.4%). During World War II, on December 22, 1939, the Germans expelled all the Jewish inhabitants to Główno.

The cemetery is located at 64/66 Łaska Street, in the current area of the Municipal Sports and Recreation Center. It is covered with trees and covers a plot of approximately 0.9 hectares. The cemetery was likely established around 1832 when the local Jewish community (kehilla) was established. During World War II, the cemetery was significantly damaged. Some matzevot were used to harden roads and sidewalks, such as in front of the Gestapo headquarters (now the town library at Kościuszki Square). The pavement was torn apart after 1945, but it is not known what happened to the matzevot excavated at that time. In the following decades, the cemetery fell into further ruin. According to a local resident, there were still matzevot in the cemetery after the war, which were gradually destroyed and stolen by residents. Currently, the area is covered with a pine forest. No matzevot or other traces of the former cemetery have survived. Recently, a project to commemorate the cemetery is being prepared by Jews from Konstantynów Łódzki, but, as of May 12, 2021, it has not yet been implemented. Around 2013, a plaque displaying information about the Jewish cemetery was erected.