Dřevíkov [Czech]. 49°46' N 15°50' E, 64.4 miles ESE of Praha and 6 km to the west from Hlinsko. Probably founded in 1542, since 1960 it has been a part of a village called Vysočina.
website in Czech with photo: landmarked and freely accesible. "The cemetery is located 500 meters NW of the village on the edge of the forest. Founded by the first half of the 17th century, after the mid-19th century, the site was extended to the present size of 1,777 m2 (the original size was approximately half) and surrounded by a wall of rubble stone with a a new entrance through the mortuaryt. The oldest tombstone dates from 1748, the newest from 1983 and 1994. About 300 tombstones are visible, often valuable Baroque and Classical stelae, among them a cast-iron tombstone from 1852. Until about 1985, the last wooden tombstone in Czech Republic from WWI, was restored and located in the depository collection of folk buildings Vysočina. Burials include the former mayor of Trhové Kamenice, Maximilian Bergmann (1870 - 1932). Damaged fragments of gravestones from the second half of the 18th century were located on the eastern edge of the cemetery in the 1970s . In the late 1990s, mortuary enclosure wall and repaired tombstones repairs were done. Ongoing maintenance is provided by the cemetery. Restoration of valuable tombstones from the 18th century should be done in the future." [September 2011
Wikipedia Jewish history. [September 2011]
cemetery photos [February 2009]
US Commission No. CZCE000330
Alternate German names: Drewikau and Draschkow. The town is in Bohemia, Chrudim at 49º46 15º50, 6 km W of Hlinsko and 24 km NE of Havlickuv Brod. The cemetery is 500 meters NW of the village green. Present town population is under 1,000 with no Jews.
- Local: Obecni Urad Vysocina, 539 01 Hlinsko.
- Regional: Okresni Urad, Referat Kultury, Pardubicka ulica, 537 01 Chrudim; tel. 0455/2451; and Soubor Lidovych Staveb a Remesel Vysocina (Open-air Museum of Folk Architecture.), Svobodne Hamry-zamek, 539 01 Hlinsko; and Zidovska Nabozenska Obec v Praze, (Director: Engineer Mojmir Maly), Maislova 18 110 01 Praha 1; tel. 02/231-69-25.
- Interested: Okresni Muzeum, Resselovo namesti 86, 537 01 Chrudim; tel. 0455/2434, and Statni Zidovske Muzeum, Jachymova 3, 110 01 Praha 1; tel. 02/231-06-34 or 231-07-85.
- Caretaker: Soubor Lidovych Staveb. (Open-air Museum of Folk Architecture.). Karel Komarek, son of the last gravedigger [Kratka 7 100 00 Praha 10; tel. 02/78-19-444] may also have information.
Earliest known Jewish community was approximately the mid-18th century. 1930 saw no Jews in the town. Peak Jewish population was probably in the mid-19th century, about 30 families. Later, they moved to big towns. The congregation disbanded probably in the late 19th century. The Jewish cemetery originated in the first half or middle of the 18th century with last known Conservative Jewish burial in 1971. Before 1904, Hlinsko, 6 km away, also used the landmarked cemetery. Between fields and woods, the flat isolated hillside has Czech sign. Reached directly off a public road, access is open to all via a continuous masonry wall and non-locking gate. The size of the cemetery is 0.1777 ha.
100-500 gravestones, 1-20 not in original locations and less than 25% toppled or broken, date from 1758. Removed stones are incorporated into roads or structures. The marble, granite, sandstone and iron flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, flat stones with carved relief decoration, double tombstones or multi-stone monuments have Hebrew, German and/or Czech inscriptions. Some stones have portraits and/or metal fences around the graves. The cemetery contains no known mass graves. Praha Jewish community owns the site. Adjacent property is agricultural, residential, or forest. Frequently, organized individual tours or private visitors. Vandalism occurred occasionally in the last ten years. Jewish groups within the country re-erected stones, patched stones, cleared vegetation, fixed the gate and mortuary in the 1970's. The cemetery now is part of an open-air museum of folk architecture. The custodian is the museum cares for the property. Within the limits of the cemetery is a pre-burial house. Security, vegetation and vandalism are moderate threats; weather erosion, pollution and incompatible development are slight threats.
Vlastimila Hamackova Zabelska 37, 312 15 Plzen (Pilsen), tel.office: 02/231-07-85 and Jiri Fiedler, z"l, Brdickova 1916, 155 00 Praha 5; tel. 02/55-33-40 completed survey on August 21, 1992. Documentation: censuses of 1849 and 1930, notes of the Statni Zidovske Muzeum Praha, Die Juden und Judengemeinden Bohemens...(1934), Gustav A. Schimmer: Statistik des Judenthums...(1873), Jahrbuch fur die Israelite Cultusgemeinden Bohemens (1894-95) and Jan Herman, Jewish Cemeteries of Bohemia and Moravia (1980). The site was visited in 1990 by V. Hamackova and no interviews were conducted.