Zakliczyn Jewish Military Cemetery

Jewish settlement in Zakliczyn dates to the 17th century. In 1921, 295 Jews lived in the town (25% of the total population), most of whom were murdered by the Germans in Bełżec in September 1942. Jews in Zakliczyn did not have their own cemetery, but rather buried their dead in Brzesko. Around 1915, the Military Department of War Cemeteries C. and K. in Kraków established the War Cemetery No. 293 in Zakliczyn, which served as a burial place for soldiers of Jewish origin who died during World War I. The cemetery was designed by architect Robert Motka and is the burial place of 11 soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian Army and one soldier of the Russian Army, who died between January 13 and June 8, 1915. The cemetery is in the south-eastern part of Zakliczyn, at 17 Stycznia Street, and covers a rectangular plot of 130 square metres. The area is fenced on three sides by low concrete stiles with an iron chain between them. At the south-eastern end, a monument in the form of a three-winged wall with a stone covering, topped with a segmental arch, was erected. At the front of the monument, there is a plaque which reads the following:

“1914-1915. Uns Toten ist nur deren Schritt willkommen, die Würde sind der Früchte unserer Siege” (“We, the dead ones, welcome only those whose dignity is the fruit of our victories”).

Within the cemetery, there are 12 concrete rectangle stelae with a semicircular arch. The Star of David and some inscriptions are carved on the front of the tombstones. In 2018, the Commune of Zakliczyn, using the funds of the Małopolskie Voivodeship, carried out renovation works, including the maintenance of monuments and adding missing plates with the names of the dead. The owner of the cemetery is the Zakliczyn Commune, and it is listed in the Register of Immovable Monuments of the Małopolskie Voivodeship. The list of people buried in this cemetery is available at http://cmentarza-zydowskie.pl/zakliczyn.htm.