Osiek Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Poland
Region
Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship
District
Staszów
Settlement
Osiek
Site address
The cemetery is located adjacent to 10, Połaniecka Street.
GPS coordinates
50.513175, 21.432006
Perimeter length
164 metres
Is the cemetery demolished
yes
Type and height of existing fence
No fence.
Preservation condition
Demolished Jewish cemetery that has not been built over
General site condition
No traces of the former cemetery have been preserved. The site is overgrown and unused.
Number of existing gravestones
No tombstones preserved
Date of oldest tombstone
Date of newest tombstone
Urgency of erecting a fence
High
Land ownership
Other
Preserved construction on site
Drone surveys
No

Historical overview

The first records of Jews living in Osiek come from 1577, however the significant development of a Jewish community began in the second half of the 19th century. In 1921, 539 Jews lived in the town, which was 39.8% of the total population. The majority of them were killed by the Germans in Treblinka in October 1942.

The cemetery is located 1km south-west of the town center, on the west side of Połaniecka Street. The exact date of the establishment of the cemetery is unknown, however it was likely established in the second half of the 19th century.

In 1928, the area was fenced on three sides with a wall, and on the fourth side with a fence. In the budget of the Jewish community, an income of PLN 58 from permissions to display tombstones and PLN 500 from the donations was noted. One of the people buried in the cemetery was Wolf Troppe, the local rabbi.

There is no further information about the history of the cemetery. The facility was destroyed, likely during the German occupation.

On October 15th 1957, the Presidium of the Municipal National Council in Osiek passed resolution no.40/57 on the closure of the cemetery. On June 26th 1964, the decision in this matter was signed by the Minister of Municipal Economy. The accompanying documentation states that the cemetery covered a plot of 0.12 hectares, and that the last burial took place in 1943.

The cemetery records from 1987 state: “The cemetery layout does not exist. There is still a cemetery site overgrown with weeds and acacia bushes. […] There are no gravestones ”. Negligence was noted as a major threat to the cemetery, and “fencing, mowing the weed, and removing self-seeding acacia bushes” was recommended.

Currently, the area is covered with wild vegetation. There is no form of commemoration of any kind. The former cemetery is located within a fenced yard owned by the Budocop company, and there is no access to it.

The owner of the cemetery is the Osiek Municipality. The cemetery is listed in the Municipal Heritage Register (no. G-2014 02 22) and the Provincial Heritage Register (no. E-1987-08).