Nowy Sacz Old Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Poland
Region
Lesser Poland Voivodeship
District
Nowy Sącz
Settlement
Nowy Sącz
Site address
Adjacent to 12, Piotra Skargi Street.
GPS coordinates
49.627746, 20.691139
Perimeter length
584 meters
Is the cemetery demolished
yes
Type and height of existing fence
No fenced.
Preservation condition
Demolished and overbuilt Jewish cemetery
General site condition
The cemetery site was demolished and is permanently transformed. In its place, a parking lot for trucks and a small square were built. In the wall surrounding the area, on the side of Piotra Skarga Street, fragments of matzevot were used for this purpose.
Number of existing gravestones
No tombstones preserved. ESJF surveyors identified two fragments of matzevot in the wall.
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
No

Historical overview

The cemetery is located approximately 200 metres north of the town square, on the east side of Piotra Skargi Street, beside the synagogue. The cemetery’s establishment date is unknown, though it was most likely established in the 17th or 18th centuries. It was in active use presumably until 1854. Its closure was potentially connected to adjustments to Szpitalna Street (currently Piotra Skargi Street) between 1854-1855.

Among those buried in the cemetery is Rabbi Mosze Dawid Landau (died c. 1830). At the beginning of the 20th century the area was fenced. During World War II, the cemetery began to fall into disrepair, and continued to degrade in the following decades. In 1963 the local government decided to turn the land it into a park. All aboveground traces of the cemetery have been destroyed. Individual tombstone fragments (including the destroyed sandstone stelae belonging to Frumet, daughter of Lejzor, estimated to date back to the end of the 18th century) and fence posts are part of the wall facing Piotra Skargi Street. The area is not fenced, and the borders are imperceptible. There are no memorials in the area. The cemetery is part of the county and voivodeship registry of historical landmarks.

The first recorded mention of Jews in Nowy Sącz dates to the 16th century. Since the 19th century, the city was one of the most important Hasidic centres in the region. In 1921, Nowy Sącz had 9,009 Jewish residents (34% of the total population), most of whom were killed by German forces in 1942. Currently the city is a pilgrimage location for Hasidic Jews from all over the world.

Nowy Sącz Old Jewish Cemetery
Nowy Sącz Old Jewish Cemetery
Nowy Sącz Old Jewish Cemetery
Nowy Sącz Old Jewish Cemetery
Nowy Sącz Old Jewish Cemetery
Nowy Sącz Old Jewish Cemetery
Nowy Sącz Old Jewish Cemetery
Nowy Sącz Old Jewish Cemetery
Nowy Sącz Old Jewish Cemetery
Nowy Sącz Old Jewish Cemetery