Ulanow Jewish Cemetery

Ulanów was founded in 1616 under Magdeburg law as a private town. Jews lived in the town from foundation. They were granted an area approximately 150 meters to the east of the market square, where they could build the community buildings. The earliest information about the synagogue in Ulanów dates back to 1627. In 1673, about 100 Jews lived in Ulanów. In 1939, among 3,900 inhabitants, there were 2,200 Jews (56%). From the beginning of the 19th century, the local Hasidic dynasty resided in the town. The cemetery was likely established shortly after the town was founded. The earliest information about it and the first preserved tombstone date back to 1681. The cemetery was established approximately 1 km to the north-east of the market square, among the fields. The mid-19th century sources show the final area of 1.3 hectares, which is still accurate, however at that time the burials took place on less than half of the area. The cemetery was shaped like an elongated quadrilateral. On the north-western border, next to the gate, there was one building, and two others in the cemetery. During World War II, executions and burials in unmarked mass graves took place there. At that time, as well as after the war, most of the tombstones were taken away, and the buildings were pulled down. In the 1960s, the area was afforested with conifers. In the 1980s, the cemetery was fenced and a brick gate was erected, and tombstones were placed there. There are over 200 traditional steles in the cemetery, including fragments of tombstones made of limestone, sandstone, and several 20th-century ones made of concrete. The 19th-century matzevot are interestingly decorated.