Pakrac Jewish Cemetery
Cemetery Information
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.