BATELOV: Jihlava, Moravia

Alternate names: Batelov [Cz], Battelau [Ger], Batelau. Jewish population: 190 (in 1846), 31 (in 1930). 49°19' N, 15°24' E, 56 miles W of Brno (Brünn), 10 miles SW of Jihlava (Iglau).

• Encyclopedia of Jewish Life (2001), p. 92: "Batelov".
• JewishGen Austria-Czech SIG
• Site in Czech with photos: "Jewish settlement apparently from first half of the 15th century. The Jewish quarter extends to the NE edge of the core Třešť Street, originally16 houses including a school No. 53, installed in 1995 and a memorial to victims of the Holocaust. Jewish Synagogue built in 1794 in classical style and the women's gallery staircase is found in the house neighboring 52nd. In 1984, adapted to the clubhouse and the Association of Cider House gardeners. The landmarked cemetery is located 700 m west of the square at the end of Field Street at top of a slight hill. Founded probably in the second half of the 15th century, the 2090 m2 site has 420 graves, mainly of local granite, the oldest legible dating from 1715. A small stone wall. Refurbished in 2010. Federation owned.": [September 2011]

Photos and map: First mentioned in 1279 as a village and in 1534 as a small town. Built on the original fortress and later reconstructed in the Baroque style, q Late-Renaissance mansion from the 17th century stands in the village. The Baroque Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, which was built between 1755 - 1766, dominates the square. The synagogue was founded in the former Jewish ghetto at the beginning of the 19th century. A memorial to the Czech writer and journalist Karel Havlíček Borovský can be found near the mansion." Jews lived in Batelov for 600 years. In WWII, the very small community with a long history disappeared. 41 Jewish residents of Batelov Holocaust monument [February 2009]

US Commission No. CZCE000058:

Cemetery: 0.8 km W of Batelov. Alternate/former German name: Battelau in Jihlava, Morava, at 49÷ 19 and 15 24, 16 km SW of Jihlava, Moravia. Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.

• Town: magistrate Engineer Jiri Dolezal, Obecni urad, 588 51 Batelov; tel. 066/99147.
  Regional: Eng. Architect Milena Nikiforova, Okresni Urad-Referat Kultury, Tolsteho ulica 586 Ol Jihlava; tel. 066/23191.
  
• Interested: Muzeum Vysociny, Director Dr. Ortwin Tauber, Masarykovo namesti 57/58, 586 01 Jihlava; tel. 066/20091.
  
• Caretaker with key: Otakar Millbersky, cp. 425, 588 51 Batelov; tel. 0.

Earliest known Jewish community dates from after 1426. 1930 Jewish population (census) was 31. A big fire in 1790 effected the Jews community. Professor Moritz Antscerl and Gustav Bohm, a painter, lived in Batelov. The Jewish cemetery originated in the 16th century with last known Conservative Jewish burial before 1942. Landmarked: # 4693 S.M. Between fields and woods, the isolated crown of a hill has Czech sign mentioning the Jewish community. Reached by turning off a public road, access is open with permission via a continuous fence and locking gate. The size of cemetery before and after W.W.II is 0.209 ha.

100-500 gravestones, in original location with 50%-75% broken or toppled, date from 1715-20th century. The marble and granite flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, flat stones with carved relief decoration, or multi-stone monuments have Hebrew and German inscriptions. Some have traces of painting on their surfaces. The cemetery contains no known mass graves. Brno Jewish community owns Jewish cemetery. Adjacent properties are agricultural. Occasionally, private visitors stop. Vandalism occurred during World War II and between 1945 and ten years ago. Local non-Jewish residents, regional or national authorities, and Jewish groups within country cleared vegetation, fixed wall and gate in 1984-5. Brno Jewish Congregation pays the regular caretaker. Within the limits of the cemetery are no structures. Security (uncontrolled access), Weather erosion, Pollution, Vegetation, Vandalism, and Incompatible nearby development, existing or proposed are slight threats. Vegetation overgrowth seasonally prevents access.

Eng. Architect Jaroslav Klenovsky, Zebetinska 13, 623 00 Brno; tel. 0 completed survey on 8 March 1992. Documentation: the Hugo Gold book. Klenovsky visited site in September 1991 but conducted no interviews.