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Sejny Old Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Poland
Region
Podlaskie Voivodeship
District
Sejny
Settlement
Sejny
Site address
Adjacent to 6, Broniewskiego Street. The area of the demolished Jewish cemetery is now an overbuilt territory between Zawadzkiego and Broniewskiego Streets. The cemetery area starts at the road curve of Zawadzkiego Street and covers the whole area between the two streets and part of the eastern side of Broniewskiego Street.
GPS coordinates
54.102810, 23.346089
Perimeter length
420 meters
Is the cemetery demolished
yes
Type and height of existing fence
No fence
Preservation condition
Demolished and overbuilt Jewish cemetery
General site condition
The territory of old Jewish cemetery of Sejny is located in an urban area. The Jewish cemetery has been demolished and overbuilt by private residential properties. No traces of the cemetery have been preserved, nor have any tombstones.
Number of existing gravestones
No tombstones preserved
Date of oldest tombstone
N/A
Date of newest tombstone
N/A
Urgency of erecting a fence
Fence is not needed
Land ownership
Private
Preserved construction on site
No
Drone surveys
No

Historical overview

Sejny was established as a private town in the 1590’s and was granted Magdeburg Rights before 1602. In 1602, the owner gave the town to the Dominican Order. Jews have lived in Sejny since the 17th century.

In 1768, to revive the economy, the Dominicans brought in Jewish settlers, who obtained an official settlement privilege in 1787. From 1788, facilities for the Jewish community were built in the town centre. In 1796, as many as 222 Jews lived there. The Jewish population in Sejny reached its peak in 1885 when Jews accounted for 3,375 of the town’s 4,500 inhabitants (75% of the total population). In 1931, there were only 819 Jews.

At the beginning of World War II, the Germans deported Jews to the border with Lithuania. Their further history is unknown. During the war, the community facilities were partially ruined. The first Jewish cemetery in Sejny was likely established in the 1880s and was located outside the town, approximately 450 metres south of the market square. Its history and appearance are unknown. It was shaped like a rectangle and covered an area of approximately 0.5 hectares. It was in use until around 1830 when the new cemetery was established. It was destroyed during World War II. After the war, it was forgotten, then divided into plots and developed. There are no traces of the cemetery and no tombstones have been found.

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