Lowicz Jewish Cemetery

The first records of Jews in Łowicz date to the 16th century, but Jewish settlement only began to significantly develop in the 19th century. In 1921, 4,517 Jews lived in the town (28.6% of the total population), most of whom were deported to Warsaw in 1941, and then killed in Treblinka.

The cemetery is located in the western part of the city, about 2 km from the city centre, on Łęczycka Street, and covers approximately 1.86 hectares. The cemetery was established in 1829 and was gradually enlarged in the following decades. During World War II, the Germans executed Jews and Poles in the cemetery and the victims were buried there. By order of the occupation authorities, some tombstones were used to harden roads and the banks of the Bzura river. In 1946, the Łowicz City Council used several dozen matzevot to build the Monument of Gratitude to the Red Army. After the war, the bodies of Jews who were murdered and buried in nearby towns were exhumed and reburied in the cemetery. In 1949, the Łowicz City Council, after the intervention of the Central Committee of Jews in Poland, transported some matzevot from various parts of the city to the cemetery. The last people to be buried in the cemetery were Helena Wekstein-Krajewska (who died in 1959) and Anatol Wekstein (who died in 1972).

Some cleaning works, commissioned by Anatol Wekstein, were carried out in the cemetery. In 1993, the cemetery was renovated (financed by Natalie Wolf). In the early 1990’s, matzevot from the dismantled Monument of Gratitude to the Red Army was returned to the cemetery. The cemetery is enclosed by a brick and concrete slab fence with a wooden gate. The brick building of the former funeral house is preserved at the entrance. The cemetery covers a rectangular plot of land with approximate dimensions of 4 x 5 metres. There is also a plaque commemorating the founders. There are about 200 tombstones in the cemetery, most of which are placed in locations that are not related to the actual burial place. The owner of the cemetery is the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage. The facility is listed in the Register of Monuments (entry No. 875 A, March 20, 1992). The list of preserved tombstones is available at http://cmentarza-zydowskie.pl/lowicz.htm.