Home - Surveys - Poland - Podlaskie Voivodeship

Zambrow Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Poland
Region
Podlaskie Voivodeship
District
Zambrów
Settlement
Zambrów
Site address
The cemetery is located at the intersection of Łomżyńska and Żytnia streets.
GPS coordinates
52.9903, 22.23637
Perimeter length
490 metres
Is the cemetery demolished
no
Type and height of existing fence
There is a metal mesh fence and the remnants of a concrete fence which is damaged in many places.
Preservation condition
Unfenced Jewish cemetery
General site condition
The cemetery located on a hill. Many of the tombstones have survived in the cemetery. A few matzevot are standing in situ, while most of them have fallen and are broken. A large part of the area is overgrown with dense bushes. The fence is broken and missing in many places. Litter was found at the site as well as graffiti on some tombstones.
Number of existing gravestones
There are about 250 tombstones and around 100 fragments.
Date of oldest tombstone
1886
Date of newest tombstone
1917
Urgency of erecting a fence
High
Land ownership
Other
Preserved construction on site
The cemetery has been destroyed and is in a bad condition, but many tombstones have been preserved. Many of them are broken or only fragments have remained. Some remnants of the fence have also been preserved.
Drone surveys
No

Historical overview

The first confirmed mentions of Jewish residents in Zambrów date to the beginning of the 18th century. In 1921 there were 3,216 Jewish residents in the city (52% of the total population), the majority of whom were killed in 1943 by the Nazis in Auschwitz-Birkenau. The cemetery is located approximately 600 metres northwest of the town centre, between Łomżyńska, Żytnia and Marii Konopnickiej Streets, at a wide rise with a steep fall to the northwest. It occupies a plot with an irregular polygon shape, covering an area of approximately 1.2 hectares. The cemetery was founded in 1828 on a plot purchased by Lejb from Chojny. In 1890, due to the re-use of the area, the neighbouring area was bought. Before 1939, the cemetery was enclosed with a stone wall, and, near the entrance, there was a stone mortuary. Towards the end of June 1941, after the invasion of the 3rd Reich, it is likely that the cemetery was used as a site for carrying out executions, including the execution of several people who were previously noted to maintain contact with the USSR.

During World War II, the cemetery was destroyed. In accordance with German orders, Jewish workers were forced to tear down the tombstones, which were later used to pave roads. The cemetery fell into further disrepair in the following years. Matzevot were used for construction purposes. There are currently about 200 tombstones in various conditions in the cemetery, the oldest of which dates to around 1829. (A partial list is available at https://cemetery.jewish.org.pl/list/c_62). On the Łomżyńska side of the road there is a 2012 memorial rock that includes a memorial for the cemetery and the local Jewish community. The cemetery is partly fenced; the fence includes parts of the pre-war brick wall and the contemporary concrete fence, as well as fire-proof elements. Littering is a problem, as well as the state of continual disrepair. The cemetery is owned by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage. The area is part of the local and voivodeship register of historical landmarks and immovable monuments.

Back to the map