Warsaw Jewish Cemetery

Warsaw, Poland

The Warsaw Jewish Cemetery is one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe and in the world. It was established in 1806 and occupies 33 hectares of land. The cemetery contains over 200,000 marked graves, as well as mass graves of victims of the Warsaw Ghetto. Many of these graves and crypts are overgrown, having been abandoned after the German invasion of Poland and subsequent Holocaust. Although the cemetery was closed down during World War II, after the war it was reopened and a small portion of it remains active, serving Warsaw's small existing Jewish population.

As the cemetery was established to replace many smaller cemeteries closer to the city centre, it was designed to serve all Jewish communities of Warsaw, regardless of their affiliation. Because of that it is subdivided into several districts dubbed quarters, historically reserved for various groups. Among them are three Orthodox (for men, women and one for holy scriptures), Reform Judaism, children, military and Ghetto Uprising victims.

The cemetery, which has become a dense forest in the post-war period, is filled with monuments to Jewish communists, orthodox rabbis, and everyone in between. Many of the markers are simple, others are elaborately carved with Art nouveau angels drooping mournfully over a tomb or with large, elaborate bas relief panoramas of a somewhat imaginary medieval Warsaw. Large mausoleums appear in styles ranging from Egyptian revival to Art deco.

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Address

Spokojna 15, Warsaw, Poland
See all sites in Warsaw

Details

Founded: 1806
Category: Religious sites in Poland

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Fred Kolbrener (7 years ago)
Not a "lodging" place as suggested by GoogleMaps. A very historic, large, and OLD cemetery in Warsaw that shows damage due to WWII on some of the monuments. Has some very unusual and beautifully carved monuments not seen in other old cemeteries. Definitely worth visiting if in Warsaw.
Francesca Belluci (7 years ago)
Such an historic place, you have to take a look if you come to Warsaw.
Robert Dahlström (7 years ago)
A very different experience. This cemetary is a place where the vegetation has been allowed to grow over a lot of the space. It's a solitary, beautiful place where you can contemplate the fate of the ones buried here. It doesn't cost much to enter. Worth a visit if you're in the area.
Zhen Tsou (7 years ago)
It is closed on Saturday. Easy to access from downtown (10 minutes in taxi or 30 minutes walk). Cover your head if you go there (respect the religion), you will be asked to pay 10pl to access the site. You should study the site before visiting; you may review the story on Wikipedia
Johan Lonn (7 years ago)
The scale of the cemetery is impressive and a sober reminder of history. You can easily walk around here for hours. The woods make the cemetery a magical place. There is not a lot of information available and the paths often end it may therefore be a suggestion to bring a good guide book
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