Topoľčany, Cemetery

The cemetery is currently the most significant reminder of the once numerous Jewish community in Topoľčany. It was established in 1899, and burials continued at the site until 1965, when the local Jewish religious community ceased to exist. The dominant feature of the cemetery is the main building with a ceremonial hall and the gravedigger’s apartment. The cemetery is enclosed along its entire perimeter by a high brick wall. There are 968 tombstones, of which 898 are identified. The children’s section contains 48 tombstones. The oldest tombstone, transferred from the old Jewish cemetery, dates back to 1831. The cemetery is the resting place of the chief rabbis of Topoľčany, other rabbis, as well as descendants of the prominent rabbi Chatam Sofer. In the center of the cemetery there is a mass grave of 62 Jewish citizens, 53 of whom were victims of a mass murder that took place on a hillside in nearby Nemčice in September 1944.

The first written record of Jews in Topoľčany dates from the first half of the 14th century. Permanent Jewish settlement in Topoľčany is documented from the mid-17th century. In 1709, a Jewish religious community (kehillah) was established. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, a rabbinate was established in the town. After the formation of Czechoslovakia, Jews made up about one-third of Topoľčany’s population, and the community was one of the best organized in Slovakia. It owned three synagogues, two cemeteries, several prayer houses, a slaughterhouse, a matzo bakery, plus a large mikveh, and operated schools, an old people’s home, and a public kitchen. Jews actively participated in public and social life in the town and significantly contributed to making Topoľčany a vibrant commercial center. Before World War II, around 3,200 Jews lived in the town. After the war, only about 550 returned. Today, none of the original Jewish inhabitants live in Topoľčany.
In 1993, the Jewish cemetery was declared a national cultural monument. An exhibition on the history of the Jewish community of Topoľčany is installed in the ceremonial hall.