Germany · Zeckendorf · 4 pictures
Zeckendorf Jewish Cemetery
About this place
In 1617 Mathes von Giech made a plot in his woodland available as a burial ground for the Jews of Zeckendorf and Demmelsdorf. The L-shaped area measures about 4,670 square metres. The dead of Burgellern, Burglesau, Scheßlitz and Stübig were buried here as well, and in the early seventeenth century also Jews from Bamberg. From 1784 the cemetery belonged jointly to the communities of Zeckendorf and Demmelsdorf, which also shared a burial society, the Chewra Kaddischa.
A count in 1986 found 598 gravestones still standing. The last burial of the Nazi period took place in 1941, and the youngest stone dates from 1947. The cemetery was desecrated several times: seven gravestones were overturned in 1937, as many as 35 in 1940, and more again in 1995. Since 1991 a memorial stone on the path to the cemetery has recalled the people from Demmelsdorf, Scheßlitz and Zeckendorf who perished under National Socialism.
Jewish life in the area has ended, and the cemetery is its quiet archive. It lies off the beaten track and is not signposted.
Anyone who visits does so quietly and with restraint. According to Jewish custom, small stones are placed on graves instead of flowers. The photographs show how woodland and time change the stones.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Jewish cemetery in Zeckendorf?
The cemetery lies about 800 metres north of Zeckendorf, a district of Scheßlitz in the Bamberg district of Upper Franconia, at the edge of a wood above the road to Demmelsdorf.
When was the Jewish cemetery in Zeckendorf laid out?
It was laid out in 1617. Mathes von Giech provided the plot for the Jews of Zeckendorf and Demmelsdorf.
How many gravestones are there at the Jewish cemetery in Zeckendorf?
A count in 1986 found 598 gravestones still standing. The cemetery was desecrated several times during the Nazi period.