Old Jewish Cemetery

Arguably the most beautiful Jewish cemetery in Poland, this decaying necropolis in Wrocław is full of fascinating, diverse and unique sepulchral art.

Established in 1856, this 4.6 hectare cemetery is perhaps the most well-preserved testament to the former strength of Breslau’s pre-war Jewish community, with over 1200 gravestones. Closed in 1942, the cemetery quickly fell into deep neglect: in 1945 it was turned into a fortress by the Nazis and saw fierce fighting as evidenced by the eerie bullet holes in many of the gravestones. Preservation began in the 1970s and in 1991 it was opened as the Museum of Jewish Cemetery Art in tribute to the craftsmanship of its sepulchral art. Indeed the beauty and diversity of styles and symbols on display is perhaps unmatched anywhere. Many noteworthy figures are buried here, including the renowned biologist Ferdinand Cohn, the historian Heinrich Graetz (author of the first complete history of the Jews), Clara Immerwahl (first female PhD student at the University of Breslau, and wife of Fritz Haber, who committed suicide in objection to her husband’s work developing chemical warfare), Ferdinand Lassalle (founder and leader of the first labour party in Germany, killed in a duel), and the parents of Edith Stein; using old records some of their tombstones are slowly being restored. However, despite these modest efforts the Ślężna Street Cemetery remains a completely mysterious and evocative sanctuary of decaying vine-covered monuments, the broken pieces of which are stacked against each other, giving shelter to stray cats and shade to wildflowers. Well worth a visit, a highly informative accompanying booklet (in Polish, English or German) makes it even more so, despite being overpriced at 15zł.