Jindřichův Hradec
The earliest surviving written evidence of the presence of Jews in the town dates back to 1294, when eight Jewish families were able to settle here. From the original eight Jewish families a Jewish community gradually developed. The largest number of Jews lived in the town in 1880, 301 people (about 3% of the town's total population), in 1900 there were 253 Jews (2.7%) and in 1930 there were 234 Jews (2.2%).
The Jewish population of the town was about 1,000.
Jewish Lane
It was first mentioned in written records in the 16th century. In the 18th century, the Jewish settlement district consisted of four Jewish-owned houses that stood along the west side of today's Church Street. After a fire in 1801, the houses took on a form that has essentially survived to this day. The corner house No. 188/I served as a community house with a school and a rabbi's residence.
Synagogue
Until the 18th century, the Jews had only a house of prayer. In 1770 a new synagogue was apparently built here, which was rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1801. During 1867 the synagogue was enlarged by an extension and rebuilt in the Gothic style. The synagogue was regularly used for services until the Nazi occupation. In 1951 the synagogue was bought by the Czechoslovak Hussite Church Religious Community, which repaired it and uses it for services to this day.
Jewish Cemetery
It is one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Bohemia. It was founded around 1400 and expanded several times over the following centuries. The gravedigger's house with a tahara and a shelter for the funeral carriage was built in the second half of the 19th century. Between 1936 and 1937, a modern ceremonial hall was built, which also includes the so-called tahara, i.e. the room where the deceased was washed and dressed before being placed in the coffin and the hearse. Around 400 tombstones from 1598 (the tombstone of Asher, son of Jaakov of Ivančice) have been preserved on an area of 3,314 square metres, among them a number of valuable tombstones of Baroque and Classicist type.
Do you know that...
...in the ceremonial hall of the Jewish cemetery is a funeral carriage of the burial fraternity from the second half of the 19th century, which was completely restored in 2015-2018. It is one of three preserved Jewish funeral carriages in Bohemia, the others are in Brandýs nad Labem and Heřmanov Městec?
