Nowy Sacz Old Jewish Cemetery
Cemetery Information
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.