a calm place

2008.12.03

WROCLAW - JEWISH CEMETERY AT ŚLĘŻNA STREET

In the mid of the 19th century Jewish community in Wroclaw began to purchase parcels in a village Gabitz at Lohestrasse (present name: Slezna Street) to create new cemetery. All together area occupied 3 ha; it was tided up, surrounded with wall and lanes were designed.

Few years later two narrow stripes of ground were added in the west and the north part (then area was 4,6 ha). Furthermore two building were erected: funeral house and house for cemetery inspector. In 1912 due to their bad condition and small capacity they were replaced with new ones designed by brothers Paul and Richard Erlich. In front of the entrance gate two storeys building for cemetery management (with apartments for inspector and gravedigger, cemetery office and florist shop) and chapel topped with lantern were situated.

The first burial took place on the 17th of November 1856. The merchandiser Lobel Stern was buried then and Rabbi Abraham Geiger was that one who blessed the cemetery ground.

In following years many famous people were buried here, among others:

Ferdinand Lassalle (1825-1864) - founder and leader of the first labour party in Germany,

Clara Sachs (1862-1921) - well known painter who was creating in impressionism style,

Heinrich Graetz (1817-1891) - creator of historical school, author of the first synthetic history of Jews from the biblical times up to the 19th century,

Ferdinand Julius Cohn (1828-1889) - botanist, who as the first scientist included batteries into plant kingdom; he cooperated with Robert Koch in his research on anthrax and vaccine against it,

Friederike Kempner (1828-1904) - novelist known as "Silesian swan" or "Jewish nightingale" due to her ability to use comedy in her lyrics; she fought for human and citizen's rights,

Gedalje Tiktin (1810-1886) - rabbi of Jewish community, son of Salomon and grandson of Abraham - two famous rabbis from Wroclaw; since 1854 the first Royal National Rabbi for Silesia district,

Auguste and Siegfried Stein (1849-1936 and 1844-1897) - parents of Edyta Stein, known since 1987 as blessed and then since 1998 as Saint Teresa Benedykta of Cross,

Abraham Levy (1817 - 1872) - famous numismatist,

Louis Galewsky (1819-1895) - founder of vodka and liquor distillery producing among others very popular tipple "Breslauer Dom" ("Cathedral of Wroclaw")

text from http://www.kirkuty.xip.pl