In 1299, Henry III granted a privilege to the Jews of Głogów, which regulated the rights and duties of people, property issues, as well as economic and religious matters. The first synagogue and Jewish houses were located near the castle, in the vicinity of the Brzostowska Gate, in an area under the Duke's jurisdiction.

In 1526, Głogów, along with the whole of Silesia, came under the rule of the Habsburgs. In 1582, Emperor Rudolf II issued an edict, under which Jews were expelled from Silesia, and the only towns where they could stay were Głogów and Biała. In 1636, a synagogue was erected in the area of the former ducal jurydyka, on Bailstraße.

At the beginning of the 19th century, in Głogów, there was one of the largest Jewish communities in Prussia, and its members took an active part in the life of the town. Jews had a significant influence on the intellectual and spiritual life of the town, and Głogów was referred to as the town of "wise men and scribes".

In the period from 1891 of 1892, a new synagogue was built on Wingenstraße (presently Hugo Kołłątaja Street, ul. Hugo Kołłątaja), designed by architects from Berlin - Jürgen Kröger and Hans Abesser. The brick building of the temple was built in the eclectic style with elements of Neo-Gothic, Moorish and Neo-Renaissance styles and was considered one of the most beautiful synagogues in Germany. The opening ceremony of the synagogue took place on 15 September 1892. The building survived until 1938, when it was set on fire during Kristallnacht. Its remains were blown up and the ruins were demolished.

In 1993, on the 55th anniversary of the burning of the synagogue, a lapidarium and obelisk that contained the following inscriptions in Polish and German were unveiled on Hugo Kołłątaja Street: "This monument, erected by the citizens of Głogów in recognition of the eternal merits of the Jewish community and its last spiritual leader, Rabbi Doctor Leopold Lucas, for the socio-cultural development of the city, is located on the site of the synagogue desecrated by the Nazis in 1938, and commemorates the tragedy of the Jews who lived in the area for over 700 years, until their displacement in 1942. City Council of Głogów".

The Description

The fourth Jewish cemetery in Głogów was established in the middle of the 19th century, and it was located behind the promenade, next to the so-called masonic gardens (presently Henryka Sienkiewicza Street, ul. Henryka Sienkiewicza). In 1906, a funeral home designed by Wilhelm Heller and a house for the caretaker were built on the site. A high brick wall was erected around the cemetery.

The cost of burial at the cemetery for adult (over 13 years old) members of the Jewish community in Głogów was dependent on income. For the burial of a child, up to the age of 13, half of the determined amount was paid, for children under a year - one quarter of the cost. At the cemetery, it was also possible to bury Jews who were not members of the Głogów community, in which case the burial cost was 50% higher. Poor people subject to public care of the poor were exempt from fees.

The changes in the attitude of the Jews from Głogów to the issue of funeral traditions can be noticed in the following description from 1918: "On Sunday, on the first day of this month, All Souls' Day was celebrated in the local cemetery. The graves were decorated with flowers, arranged in wreaths. After the members of the community had taken their seats in the cemetery chapel, the first part of the ceremony began with the singing of prayers for the dead in German, performed by the choir under the management of the royal musical director, Lorenz, then, Rabbi Doctor Lucas delivered an attention-grabbing speech to the large community gathered in the venue. After a prayer for the dead - also in Hebrew – a religion teacher, Lasker, ended the ceremony with a prayer in Hebrew" .

The last funeral took place in 1937, when Emil Methis was buried on 15 April of that year. During the Second World War, the cemetery was initially owned by the Reich Association of Jews in Germany (Polish: Zrzeszenie Żydów w Niemczech) and was taken over by the tax administration later on. In the meantime, the building at the cemetery was used by the Gestapo as a storage room for stolen Jewish property. At that time, the area of the cemetery was 1 ha and 10 ares. The District Tax Office in Głogów planned to erect official buildings on the site. During that period, the cemetery wall was dismantled, the tombstones were sold to local stonemasons and auxiliary buildings of the military headquarters were erected. Until the end of the war, the cemetery was owned by the District Tax Office. During the war, tombstones from the old Jewish cemetery were moved there, which were used to fortify pavements and roads. The necropolis also suffered during the siege of the city in 1945. A year later, only a few tombstones remained there.

In 1956, the Presidium of the National Council in Głogów (Polish: Prezydium Miejskiej Rady Narodowej w Głogowie) adopted a resolution to close the cemetery, which was done in 1961. In 1966, the provincial authorities applied for an early liquidation of the cemetery, which was justified by the "the need to carry out the investment project in connection with the construction of housing facilities for the Głogów-Legnica Copper Belt", that is the new housing estate - Głogów II. The cemetery was located in the middle of the planned housing estate. However, due to the fact that 40 years required by law had not elapsed since the last burial (1937), it was decided to exhume the remains of people buried in the period of 1928 to 1937. 19 people were exhumed in 1968, and their remains were moved to the Catholic cemetery on Legnicka Street (ul. Legnicka) and buried in a common grave. The area of the cemetery was levelled and prepared for the project. The project mainly included the construction of Primary School no. 7 and an asphalt sports field. The tombstones from the last Jewish cemetery have been found in various parts of Głogów and in the surrounding forests since the beginning of the 21st century.

Author of the note: Tamara Włodarczyk

References

• Friedhofsgebäude in Glogau, "Ostdeutsche Bau-Zeitung" 1907, No. 68.
• Lucas F. D., Heitmann M., Żydzi głogowscy. Dzieje i kultura, transl. by J. Obruśnik-Jagla, Głogów 2013.
• Połomski F., Zawłaszczenie i sprzedaż cmentarzy żydowskich w latach II wojny światowej na Śląsku. Ze studiów nad prawa własności w III Rzeszy, "Acta Universitatis Wratislaviensis", no. 815 (Studia nad Faszyzmem i Zbrodniami Hitlerowskimi, vol. XI).
• Urban K., Cmentarze żydowskie, synagogi i modlitwy w Polsce w latach 1944–1966 (wybór materiałów), Kraków 2006.
• Wodziński M., Hebrajskie inskrypcje na Śląsku XIII-XVIII wieku, Wrocław 1996.

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