Alternate names: Opoczno [Pol], Opotchna, אופּוטשנה [Yid], Opochno, Опочно [Rus], Opotshnah. 51°22' N, 20°17' E, 44 miles SE of Łódź, 40 miles NNW of Kielce, 38 miles W of Radom. 1900 Jewish cemetery: 2,425. Yizkors: Sefer Opotshnah; yad vashem le-kehilah she-harvah (Tel Aviv, 1989). Pinkas ha-kehilot; entsiklopediya shel ha-yishuvim le-min hivasdam ve-ad le-aher shoat milhemet ha-olam ha-sheniya: Poland vol. 1: The communities of Lodz and its region (Jerusalem, 1976). Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego (1880-1902), VII, pp. 555-559: "Opoczno". This town located in central Poland in the Eastern part of Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999) and previously in Piotrków Trybunalski Voivodeship (1975-1998). Important communication routes run through the town such as the central railway line onnecting Silesia with Warsaw The town and gmina and 36,000 inhabitants in the gmina and 23,162 in Opoczno in 2007. We Remember Jewish Opoczno! In 1938, the community purchased a piece of land for a new cemetery to be the third cemetery here. [June 2009]
OPOCZNO I: US Commission No. POCE000664
Opoczno I is located in Piltrkow Tr. at 20º17 51º23, 39 km from Piotrkow; 69 km from Kielce; 62 km from Radom. The cemetery is located at Janasa St. 9 (behind the synagogue). Present town population is 5,000-25,000 with no Jews.
- Town: Urzad Miasta I Gminy, ul. Stavomicjska 6; tel. 24 14.
- Regional: region Konserwator Zabytkow Piotrkow, ul. Armii Czerwonej 29; tel. 5646.
The earliest known Jewish community was 17th century. 1921 Orthodox Jewish population was 3376. The unlandmarked, isolated, urban flat land has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open with permission. A continuous fence with locking gate surrounds the cemetery. There are no stones or known mass graves. Within the limits of are other structures and new buildings. Municipality owns property used for industrial or commercial use. Properties adjacent are commercial or industrial and residential. The cemetery has been vandalized during World War II and never in 1981-91No maintenance.
Jan Pawet Woronczak, Sandomierska Str. 21 m. 1, 02-567 Warszawa; tel. 49-54-62 completed survey on 29 Dec 1991.
OPOCZNO II: US Comm. No. POCE000665
The cemetery is located at Limanowskiego Str. 23 (new). See Opoczno I for town details. The unlandmarked Orthodox Jewish cemetery was established in probably in 19th century. The isolated urban hillside has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all. A broken masonry wall with no gate surrounds the cemetery. 1 to 20 stones, none in their original location, are mostly sandstone flat shaped stones with Hebrew inscriptions. The cemetery contains no known mass graves. Municipality owns property used for recreation use (park, playground, and sports field). Properties adjacent are residential. The cemetery boundaries are unchanged since 1939. Occasionally, local residents visit. The cemetery was not vandalized in 1981-91. No maintenance.
Jan Pawet Woronczak, Sandomierska Str. 21 m. 1, 02-567 Warszawa; tel. 49-54-62 completed survey on 29 Dec 1991.
http://www.geocities.com/adaleh_99/opocz.htm [October 2000]