Pakrac Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Croatia
Region
Požeško-slavonska županija
District
Pakrac
Settlement
Pakrac
Site address
The cemetery entrance is located in the woods behind 7, Psunjska Street.
GPS coordinates
45.448267, 17.211697
Perimeter length
178 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
There are very few traces of the cemetery which was once here. Some stairs remain on the site but there is no visible indication of what they led to. The plot is now occupied by young trees, and the surrounding area is still a minefield. Broken tombstones.
Number of existing gravestones
There are approximately 30 tombstones.
Date of oldest tombstone
Date of newest tombstone
Urgency of erecting a fence
High
Land ownership
Other
Preserved construction on site
There are some stairs on the site, remnants of an unknown structure.
Drone surveys
Yes

Historical overview

Pakrac is a town in western Slavonia. At the end of the 12th century there was already a large castle built there by either the Templars or the Johannites. The town itself was first mentioned in 1238 as “Petrich.” The Turks conquered Slavonia in the 16th century and, on October 17th, 1691, Pakrac was liberated by the imperial general Charles Eugène de Croÿ. After the expulsion of the Turks, Christian Orthodox settlers from Bosnia and Catholics from the northern parts of the Kingdom of Hungary settled in the town and its countryside. In the 18th century the region emerged as a centre for winemaking, silk, and textile production. While the town was inhabited mainly by Croats and Serb, Jews settled in Pakrac in the 19th century, and the synagogue was built in 1875. 63 Jewish families lived in the town and the Jewish cemetery was opened at the same time. The Jews of Pakrac worked in trade, mainly trading hides and timber. People of free professions also lived in the town. Relations between the Jewish community and the locals were generally good, but in 1918 the Jewish population suffered from attacks by deserters from the Austrian army. After the war and the emigration of locals to larger cities, the Jewish population of Pakrac declined. In 1921 there were 282 Jews living in Pakrac and in 1940 only 99 Jews remained. During the Holocaust all the Jews of the town were killed.

The Jewish cemetery, established in 1875, was abandoned after World War II and the land was confiscated in 1958. The cemetery is overgrown with forest, but some gravestones may still be found there.