Alternate names: Żychlin [Pol], Zhichlin, זשיכלי [Yid], Zhikhlin, Жихлин [Rus], Zakhlin, Zekhlin, Zykhlin, Zshikhlin. 52°15' N, 19°37' E, 11 miles E of Kutno, 21 miles S of Płock. Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego (1880-1902), XIV, p. 876: "Żychlin". 1900 Jewish population: 2,268. Yizkor: Sefer Zychlin, (Tel Aviv, 1974). This town in Zychlin gmina, Kutno powiat about 50 km N of Łódź and 90 km W of Warsaw had 9,021 inhabitants in 2004. Beside the town of Żychlin, Gmina Żychlin contains the villages and settlements of Aleksandrów, Aleksandrówka, Balików, Biała, Brzeziny, Budzyń, Buszków Dolny, Buszkówek, Chochołów, Czesławów, Dobrzelin, Drzewoszki Małe, Drzewoszki Wielkie, Gajew, Grabie, Grabów, Grzybów Dolny, Grzybów Hornowski, Jankówek, Kaczkowizna, Kruki, Kurów, Marianka, Orątki Dolne, Orątki Górne, Pasieka, Sędki, Śleszyn, Śleszynek, Sokołówek, Szczytów, Tretki, Wola Popowa, Żabików, Zagroby, Zarębów and Zgoda. On the eve of WWII, 6,000 people (90% Jews, 5% Poles, 5% Germans) lived here. In 1942 the Jews of the town were deported to the Warsaw Ghetto and then to death camps. [July 2009]
US Commission No. POCE000629
Zychlin is located in region Plockie at 52º14 19º35, 32 km from Plockie and 55km from Lodz. The cemetery location is ulica Lukasinskiego. Present town population is 5,000-25,000 with no Jews.
- Town: Urzad Miejski, Ulica 1-60 Maja 26, Tel #6.
- Regional: Wojewodzki Konserwator Zabytkow, 09-400 Plock Ulica Kolegialna 15.
The earliest known Jewish community was 1734. 1921 Jewish population was 2701. The Jewish cemetery was established probably at the first half of the 18th century with last known Orthodox or Conservative Jewish burial 1939-1945. Landmark: official register of Jewish cemeteries of 1981. The isolated suburban crown of a hill has a sign in Polish. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all with a continuous fence and non-locking gate. The present and pre-World War II size of the cemetery is l.25 hectares. 1-20 stones, some in original locations with less than 25% toppled or removed date from 1830-20th century. Thegranite or sandstone rough stones or flat stones with carved relief decoration have Hebrew inscriptions. There is a special memorial monument to Holocaust victims, but no known mass graves or structures. The municipality owns site used only for a Jewish cemetery. Properties adjacent are residential. Occasionally, organized tours or private visitors stop. It was vandalized during WWII. Association of the former inhabitants of Zychlin now living in Israel in 1989 fixed the wall and gate and cleared vegetation. Authorities occasionally clear or clean. No threats.
Pawel Fijalkowski, 96-500 Sochaczew Ulica Zienowita 11, Tel. 227-91 conducted survey on November 9, 1991. He did not visit the cemetery but used his personal photo archives as documentation.
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [April 2016]