WROCLAW - JEWISH CEMETERY AT LOTNICZA STREET

Towards the end of the 19th century the Jewish cemetery at Slezna Street was almost full. The Jewish community started to look for new areas that would be arranged for necropolis. Finally it bought 50 morg of land in village Cosel (present name: Kazanow) at Berliner causeway (later known as Flughafenstrasse, present name is Lotnicza). In 1900 the whole area was surrounded. In May of year 1901 construction work started and on the 14 th of February 1902 necropolis was consecrated and opened.

Brothers Paul and Richard Ehrlich (creators of Jewish hospital in Wroclaw at present Railway Company hospital at Wisniowa Street) were the main architects of back offices. Director of urban green Richter created project of green planning. At the cemetery monumental chapel was built and connected with funeral house by twenty meters long arcaded cloister. That complex was situated just behind/after the entrance, on left side.

On right side two storey building for management was raised. Inside chambers, florist's shop, apartments for gardener, inspector and gravedigger were situated.

After year 1918 the area of cemetery was extended to more then 11 ha. Its spatial planning resembled romantic landscape park. The path layout was neither parallel nor perpendicular. According to the project paths were planted with trees and rose borders were laid out. The gardener working at the cemetery had special area in south-east part of necropolis used as seedbed for trees and flowers (gardening buildings still exist although they are partly burnt). After the First World War honorary area (58 by 28 meters) was created in the south part of cemetery to commemorate Jews soldiers who died during the war. On its top the oval monument with 432 names of soldiers curved in was situated.

During the Second World War a group of prisoner from the concentration camp was buried in common grave at the cemetery. At that time building for management was used as hospital for Jewish-Christian marriages staying in the city. Still visible on some graves traces of bullets are silent witness to all tragic incidents that happened here.

Except for matzevas exceptional kind of tombstone is ohel. It is a wooden or brick house usually built for wonder-rabbis and great rabbis and very rare for secular people. The only one known ohel in Lower Silesia is situated at cemetery at Lotnicza Street in Wroclaw and is exceptional in national scale because it was built for woman! It was created around 1909 for Mina Cira Majzel who was wife of famous rabbi Eliasz Cham from Lodz. Ohel is a simple brick building, built on a plane of square with doorway towards north - east. Nowadays interior is devastated and the whole construction is overgrown with ivy. On the back wall of ohel there is typical orthodox inscription:

" That is the burial ground of God - fearing woman known for her charity, wife of rabbi, Miss Mira Cyra, daughter of lord, gaon, our teacher Nachman (blessed is memory of just), brightness of Mejzel family from Israel gaon's Dynasty who are pillars of our confession: Mister Mojzezs Israels and our teacher Samuel Eleah (blessed is memory of just for their life in future world), wife of venerable gaon of law, light and pillar for our people, lord and leader of all sons of expatriation our teacher Eliasz Chaima (blessed is memory of just for their life in future world) Majzel, presiding rabbi judge in Lodz (blessed id development of our city). She died on the 9 th of tamuz 569 according to small calculus. Lord of resurrection will come and all sleepers rise up and live with eternal life."

On the 26 th of September 1983 cemetery was enrolled onto monuments register.

And how does that place look like today? The funeral house and cloisters have survived although both buildings are in rather bad condition (the building for management and chapel were taken apart in the sixties of the 20 th century). Necropolis is surrounded with the wall. Beautiful entrance gate decorated with bas-reliefs still exists as well as paths drawn in the past. Unfortunately the whole area looks like city lost in the jungle. Vegetation rules at that place ruining it and making almost impossible to notice the exceptional beauty of that place. Happening again and again acts of vandalism cause more destruction.

And it is a place that should be protected both for its historical values and spatial architecture and originality of graves and memory of Holocaust victims commemorated on many post-war headstones and last but not least its exceptional atmosphere you can feel only while walking along shady paths. You are welcomed!

Cemetery can bee visited free of charge every Sunday between 9 am and 1 pm.

Text: Małgorzata Frąckowiak, Ryszard Bielawski
Photos: Małgorzata Frąckowiak
Translated by: Katarzyna Nocek