On August 17, 1780, the Breslau Kamera designated an additional five cities as resettlement cities for Jews. These were: Tarnowskie Góry, Mysłowice, Mikolow, Lubliniec and Bieruń Stary. The Prussian General Tables of 1790 confirm the presence of Jews in Lubliniec. An independent Jewish community was established at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. This community took part in the 1814 assembly of the Jewish communities of Upper Silesia in Gliwice.

In 1821, a synagogue was built in Lubliniec and a cantor was hired. In 1845, a Jewish cemetery was established. In 1861, the size of the community was 432 people out of a population of 3364. In 1872 the community in Lubliniec joined the Union of Upper Silesian Synagogue Communities.

The end of World War I brought major changes to Silesia. The Polish-German conflict flared up, with most Jews siding with the Germans. However, as a result of the Third Silesian Uprising, Lubliniec became part of Poland. This caused a mass emigration of local Jews to large urban centers in Germany and Western Europe. Only a few families remained in the town.

September 1, 1939. Germany attacked Poland, thus beginning World War II. Already in the first days of the war, Lubliniec was occupied by German army. During the occupation, the Germans deported the last Lubliniec Jews to ghettos in the General Government.

The Description

The Jewish cemetery in Lubliniec was established in 1820 on a plot measuring 15 by 12 rods of land, i.e. approximately 2,545 square metres, located outside the then city limits, south of the city centre and west of the village of Wesoła (today a district of Lubliniec), on the northern edge of the forest, accessed by a demarcated road – today's 11 Listopada Street.

The Jewish community did not become the owner of the cemetery plot until twenty-five years later, when it acquired it for 20 thalers under an agreement of 28 May 1845. In 1865, a further area of 118 square rods was purchased from the town with 38 thalers and 20 silver groschen. The final necropolis thus had the shape of a right trapezoid and an area of around 4,500 square metres. A funeral home with a caretaker's quarters, which still exists today, was soon built in its northeastern corner. The whole was enclosed by a brick wall with two gates.

Prior to the establishment of their cemetery, the Lubliniec Jewish community buried their dead in Wielowieś. The oldest gravestone identified on the cemetery grounds – exclusively Hebrew – commemorates Moses Jechiel, son of Jicchak Ajzyk of Przedborze, who died on 10 November 1834.

In addition to the inhabitants of Lubliniec, Jews from almost 15 surrounding villages were also buried in the cemetery. The date of the last burial is unknown, as is the identity of the last person to find eternal rest in the Lubliniec cemetery. It probably took place in 1939 or 1940. The fate of the necropolis during World War II is also unknown, although it can be assumed that it survived until 1945 in relatively good condition.

After World War II, the cemetery that was left unattended gradually deteriorated, which was also influenced by the human factor. The area of the cemetery was leased to the National Defence League (Polish: Liga Obrony Kraju) which set up… a driving school at the site. In autumn 2007, the cemetery was tidied up.

Author of the note: Sławomir Pastuszka

Właściciel praw autorskich do opisu: Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN.