photo of decayed eastern wall of cemetery and overgrowth, p 72 [February 2009]
HOSTOUN: (I) US Commission No. CZCE000088
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [November 2017]
Alternate German name: Hostaun. Houstoun is in Kladno, Bohemia at 50º14, 16 km WNW of central Prague and 7 km SW of Kladno. The "old cemetery" location: 110 meters WSW, near Sulovicky brook. Present population is 1000-5000 with no Jews.
- Local: Mrs. Janosova, Vice Magistrate, obecni urad, 273 53 Hostoun u Prahy, office tel: 0312-98731 and home tel: 0312-98743.
- Regional: 1. PhDr. Pribyl, Okresni Urad, Referat Kultury, 272 63 Kladno; and 2. Engineer Arch. Volfova, Pamatkovy ustav strednich Cech, Ceskomoravska Street 20-21, 190 00 Praha 9; tel. 853-1111.
- Caretaker: Mrs. Vera Valatova, 273 53 Hostoun u Prahy c. 98.
Earliest known Jewish community is a rabbi mentioned in 1792. 1930 Jewish population was 17. Jews moved to big towns in second half of 19th century. Rabbi Nasanel, 1792, mentioned by Ezechiel Landau; Rabbi Josef (1817), mentioned by Eleazar Fleckeles; and Rabbi Dr. M. Ascher (about 1850) lived here. The landmarked cemetery was allegedly established in the first half of 18th century with last known Conservative Jewish burial in 1848. Unhost; Velka Dora (German Gross-Dobrai); Kladno before 1889; Horelice; Kamyk (German Kameik, all 6 to 10 km away, used this cemetery. The isolated wooded flat land of a hillside by water has no sign. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open via no wall, fence, or gate. Size of cemetery before and after WWII ha s: 1241 sq. m. 20-100 gravestones, some in original locations with less than 75% toppled or broken, date from 1786-19th century. The marble, granite, and hermanuv mestecsandstone flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, or flat stones with carved relief decoration have Hebrew and German inscriptions. The cemetery contains no known mass graves or structures. Prague Jewish community owns Jewish cemetery. Adjacent properties are agricultural and forest. Rarely, private visitors and local residents stop. Vandalism occurred between 1945 and now. Jewish groups within country cleared vegetation and fixed wall in 1991. Prague Jewish Congregation pays the regular caretaker. Security (uncontrolled access) is a very serious threat. Weather erosion is a slight threat. Vegetation overgrowth seasonally prevents access. Water drainage at the cemetery is a constant problem.
Engineer Mojmir Maly, Ve Stresovickach 58, 169 00 Praha 6; tel. 35-57-69 and Jiri Fiedler, z"l, Brdickova 1916, 155 00 Praha 5; tel. 02/55-33-40 completed survey on 15 March 1992. Documentation: History of the Congregation by J. Polak-Rokycana, 1969 and notes of Statni Zidovske Muzeum, Prague. Maly visited site in 1992 and conducted no interviews.
HOSTOUN II: US Commission No. CZCE000240
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [November 2017]
Cemetery: 800 meters WSW of town, called the "new cemetery." The unlandmarked cemetery originated before 1840. Rabbis are buried here with last known Jewish burial in 1985. The isolated rural (agricultural) hillside has no sign. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all via broken masonry wall and no gate. Size of cemetery before and after WWII ha s: 1,503 sq. m. 100-500 gravestones, 1-20 not in original locations with 25%-50% toppled or broken, date from 1839-40-20th century. The marble, granite, limestone, sandstone, and terrazzo flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, flat stones with carved relief decoration, or multi-stone monuments have Hebrew, German, and Czech inscriptions. Some have portraits on stones and/or metal fences around graves. The cemetery contains no known mass graves. Within the limits of the cemetery is a pre-burial house. Prague Jewish community owns Jewish cemetery. Adjacent properties are agricultural. Occasionally, private visitors and local residents stop. Vandalism occurred between 1945 and now. Jewish groups within country cleared vegetation in 1991. Praha Jewish Congregation pays the regular caretaker. Security (uncontrolled access) and vandalism are very serious threats. Weather erosion is a moderate threat. Pollution is a slight threat. Vegetation overgrowth in the cemetery is a constant problem, disturbing graves.
See Hostoun I for 15 March 1992 survey details. Documentation: History of the Congregation by J. Polak-Rokycana, 1969. Other documentation exists but was too old. Maly visited the visited in 1989 and 1992 and interviewed local inhabitants in 1989.