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Namyslow Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Poland
Region
Opole Voivodeship
District
Namysłów
Settlement
Namysłów
Site address
Adjacent to 5D, Łączańska Street.
GPS coordinates
51.0722796, 17.7315474
Perimeter length
302 metres
Is the cemetery demolished
no
Type and height of existing fence
The cemetery is partly fenced with a brick and mesh wall (2m high) along two sides of the cemetery, the eastern and southern, adjacent to Łączańska street. The extant parts of the wall are in very poor condition and need repair. The other sides are not fenced.
Preservation condition
Fenced and protected Jewish cemetery
General site condition
The Jewish Cemetery at Namysłów is located in a wooded area along Łączańska street. The cemetery is adjacent to residential houses and car garages. The site has a plaque on its stone entrance wall declaring that this is a Jewish Cemetery. The cemetery area is overgrown with trees and dense thickets. The cemetery is not maintained, the site has been used as a storage site for many years. Only one concrete pedestal has been preserved.
Number of existing gravestones
1. There is one stone block, which appears to be a tombstone pedestal.
Date of oldest tombstone
N/A
Date of newest tombstone
N/A
Urgency of erecting a fence
Low
Land ownership
Private
Preserved construction on site
There is a building of unknown use, adjacent to the road.
Drone surveys
Yes

Historical overview

Namysłów was granted town rights around 1249. The first records of Jewish settlement in the town date back to 1321. In 1582, the Jews were expelled from Namysłów, only to return again in 1683. In 1787, 40 Jews lived in the town (1.6% of the total population), in 1845 – 174 (5% of the total population). At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Jews migrated to the west. In 1932, 68 Jews lived in the town. In the period before World War II, numerous anti-Semitic incidents took place in Namysłów. During Night of Broken Glass (Kristallnacht), the synagogue was burned down, and some Jewish shops were destroyed. After 1939, only 16 Jews lived in Namysłów. Their further history is unknown.

The cemetery is located on Łączańska Street, about 1.3 km southeast of the town center. In December 1792, the Jewish community received permission from the authorities to build a cemetery in the town. The necropolis was established in 1794 in the area of the so-called Polish Manor. In 1862, the cemetery was fenced, and a funeral house was built. During the Night of Broken Glass (Kristallnacht), the cemetery was devastated. Broken and damaged matzevot were placed on stakes at the entrance to the necropolis. In 1939, the cemetery became the property of the Reich Association of Jews in Germany. During World War II, the Germans completely liquidated the cemetery. In its place, barracks for forced laborers and war prisoners were erected. There was also a building materials warehouse and a cattle market in the necropolis. During work on the construction of a heating network in 1986, two metal coffins were found. Due to the inability to identify the remains, the coffins were buried in the municipal cemetery.

No tombstones have survived the area of about 0.5 hectares. Only the remains of the fence with a plaque informing about the former purpose of the facility have survived. One can enter the cemetery from the side of the public road. The area is neglected, covered with single trees and shrubs. On the ground, there are visible stone elements that may be matzevot plinths.

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