Libochovice, Libochowitz 50°25' N 14°04' E, 28.6 miles NW of Praha
history in Czech and photos [February 2009]
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [November 2017]
CEMETERY:
Epitaphs. [July 2015]
US Commission No. CZCE000355
Alternate name: Libochowitz in German. Libochovice is located in Bohemia, Litomerice at 50º24 14º02, 18 km ENE of Louny and 28 km S of Usti nad Labem. Cemetery: 800 m WNW of square. Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with probably no Jews.
- Town: Mestsky Urad-mayor: Engineer V. Vacina, vice mayor: P.Cesal, 411 17 Lobochovice; tel. 0419/92693.
- Regional: Jewish congregation: ZNO, Moskevska 26, 400 01 Usti nad Labem; tel. 047/22710; and Okresni Urad, Referat Kultury, Na valech 10, 412 01 Litomerice; tel. 0416/5721 or 3371.
- Interested: Vlastivedne Muzeum, Mirove namesti 1, 412 01 Litomerice; tel. 0416/2019; and Statni Zidovske Muzeum, Jachymova 3, 110 01 Praha 1; tel. 02/2310634 and Lubomir Mrazek (local teacher), Fugnerova 439, 411 17 Libochovice. L. Mrkvicka (local stonecutter), Skolni 1, 411 97 Lobochovice.
Earliest known Jewish community was second half of 16th century. 1930 Jewish population was 48. Peak Jewish population in 19th century was 261 people. Starting in 1845, Jews moved to big towns. The Jewish cemetery originated in 1583. Buried in the landmarked cemetery are rabbis with last known Conservative Jewish burial before 1943 (legible: 1939). The isolated rural (agricultural) hillside has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all via a broken masonry wall and non-locking gate. The pre- and post-WWII size of cemetery is 0.3165 ha.
100-500 stones date 1588-20th century. The cemetery has an old and new part. The granite, limestone, sandstone and iron flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, flat stones with carved relief decoration, multi-stone monuments, or obelisks have Hebrew, German and Czech inscriptions. Some tombstones have traces of painting on their surfaces and/or metal fences around graves. The cemetery contains no known mass graves or structures. Usti nad Labem Jewish community or the municipality own and use site for Jewish cemetery, park, playground, athletic field, and waste dumping. Properties adjacent are recreational and agricultural. Occasionally, Jewish or non-Jewish private visitors and local residents stop. Vandalism occurred frequently 1945-1991 (first damage in 1947). Local/municipal authorities probably did work but no maintenance. Serious threat: uncontrolled access, pollution and vegetation. Moderate threat: weather erosion. Slight threat: existing and proposed nearby development.
Ladislav Mertl, Mgr. of Geography, Kubanske nam.1322/17, Praha 10-Vrsovice; tel. 02/74313; and Jan Marek, Na hranici 208, 405 05 Decin 9, for message tel. and fax: 0412/23662 or 28090 completed survey on 07-02-92. Documentation: J. Herman: Jewish Cemeteries in Bohemia and Moravia (1980); Die Juden and Judengemeinden Bohemens..(1934); Antonin Horsky: "A na hrbitove pasti dobytek" (article in Dnesek, 1948 pg.633); census 1570, 1846, 1930, 1991. Other documentation was inaccessible. The site was not visited. Interviewed in 1992 were mayor and vicemayor (see above) and L. Marek and L. Mrkvicka in Libochovice.