Learn about the Jewish families who were killed in the Holocaust and see the tombstones of famous Krakow residents in the city’s only Jewish cemetery.
The New Jewish Cemetery covers an area of 6 hectares (11 acres) and has more than 10,000 tombstones. It was established in 1800 and is today the resting place of many distinguished artists, rabbis and politicians. Wander around the site to see memorials and the headstones that are dedicated to those who lost their lives during World War II.
Over the past two centuries, many renowned Jewish people have lived in Krakow and most of them have been buried in the New Jewish Cemetery. Search for the headstones of notable people such as Ozjasz Thon, a rabbi and Member of Parliament, and the Romantic painter Maurycy Gottlieb.
There are many memorials and tombstones throughout the cemetery that are dedicated to entire families who were killed in the Holocaust.
At the front gates you’ll see a large memorial is dedicated to the people who lost their lives in World War II.Walk along the narrow paths and under the trees to see the headstones throughout the cemetery. There are a few older headstones that have vines entwined over them, but there is a larger number of more modern styles. This is because the German army in World War II destroyed many of the older tombstones and used them to pave roads. In 1957, the cemetery was restored and pieces of the recovered broken tombstones were embedded into the wall that now surrounds the cemetery.
Visit in the summer and you will see vines along the walls and greenery in the trees. In the winter the snow gives the cemetery a solemn air.
The New Jewish Cemetery is located in Kazimierz, a Jewish neighbourhood southeast of Krakow city centre. You can get to the cemetery by train from the city centre.
The cemetery is closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays and is free to enter. Visitors are required to cover their head, so be sure to bring a hat or pick up a paper head cover from the entrance.
