Enchanting cemetery nooks
with thousands of precious tombstones and synagogues with
Hebrew letters on their walls are witnesses to the former
Jewish communities of many towns of Central Moravia. The Jewish
monuments here are some of the most extensive in Moravia and
even if there are no longer people of the Jewish persuasion
living in the majority of these towns, a visit to the remnants
of their past is one of most extraordinary experiences.
One of the most populous Jewish ghettos in Moravia, one which
lasted five centuries, the extent of which is witnessed by
the beautiful Šach synagogue. Inside this unique renaissance
building, with a remarkable interior decorated in the Polish
style,
an
exhibit on Jews and Moravia is housed. Another Jewish monument
in Holešov is its Jewish cemetery with ceremonial hall, inside
of which there is a list of the names of the Holešov victims
of the Holocaust. The most famed grave in the cemetery is
the tomb of the rabbi Sabbatai ben Meir ha-Kohen, known as
Šach.
tel.: +420 573 395 344
http://www.holesov.cz
The uniqueness of the Hranice synagogue has to do with its
position. Because of lack of space between neighbouring buildings,
the builders did not orient it toward Jerusalem, but toward
the east. It was constructed in the Moorish-Byzantine
style
and was founded during the time of the greatest expansion
of the Jewish area in Hranice, on the site of an older wooden
temple, in 1864. Today it houses exhibitions of modern art
and is also used as a concert hall. The existence of the Jewish
community in Hranice is also witnessed by the nearby Jewish
cemetery, the oldest tombstone of which is from the year 1686.
tel: +420 581 606 077, +420 581 601 160
http://www.mmghranice.cz
The Jewish community in Kojetín is witnessed today by its
synagogue which is perhaps the oldest in the Czech Republic,
dating to the 15th century. Nearby is the rabbi’s house and
also worth seeing is the Jewish cemetery from the first half
of the 16th century, where the last burial took place in 1942.
You can familiarise yourself with the history of Jewish culture
at the mini-exhibition prepared by the Town Cultural Centre
in Kojetín, located in the Jewish Corner in the Education
and Information Centre on Masaryk Square.
tel.: +420 581 762 046, +420 581 202 202
http://kojetin.strednihana.cz
| Lipník
nad Bečvou |
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There is an interesting synagogue and two Jewish cemeteries
in this town. The synagogue dates back to the 16th century.
The last burial at the old Jewish cemetery took place in 1883.
Seven Lipník rabbis are buried there. German soldiers destroyed
the cemetery in WWII and it was restored after 1989. The last
burial at the new Jewish cemetery took place in 1942. In the
1980s liquidation on this cemetery was begun, but that was
halted in the 1990s and the cemetery was gradually restored.
tel.: +420 581 773 763
http://www.mesto-lipnik.cz
Jewish settlement here began in the first half of the 14th
century. Jewish residents were concentrated at first on what
was called Jewish Street, first mentioned in 1447 (now the
western part of today’s Žerotín Square). The synagogue is
located on Wilson Street, on the west side of Jewish Street,
built in 1860 on the site of an older synagogue. Nearby to
it is also a Jewish cemetery.
tel.: +420 581 217 187
http://www.prerov.cz
The
Tovačov Jewish cemetery at Podvalí was begun in the 17th century
on the ignominious site of the former Lord’s kennels. Here
there are precious tombstones in Baroque and Art Nouveau styles.
There are also two tombs in the cemetery walls from the beginning
of the 17th century, which were reinterred from the old cemetery,
which was in the Jewish ghetto. Part of the cemetery includes
the Ceremonial Hall, which was built in 1889 by the architect
Max Fleisch.
tel.: +420 581 731 301
http://www.tovacov.cz
