cemetery photos [February 2009]
[also see cemetery at Liten PRASKOLESY] village website in Czech. [February 2009]
US Commission No. CZECH00045
Alternate name: Praskoles in German. Praskolesy is located in Bohemia, Beroun at 49°50' N, 13°55' E , 15 km SW of Beroun and 428 miles WSW of Praha (Prague). Cemetery: 700 m SE of church. Present town population is [800 inhabitants in 2005] with no Jews.
- Town: Obecni urad, 267 54 Praskolesy.
- Regional: Jewish congregation: ZNO Praha (Ms Jana Wolfova), Maislova 18 110 01 Praha 1; tel. 02/2318664; and Okresni Urad, Referat Kultury (Ms. Markova), 266 01 Beroun; and Pamatkovy urad strednich Cech, Hybernska 18, 110 01 Praha 1; tel. 02/2354940 to 2.
- Interested: Okresni Muzeum Beroun, Husovo namesti 87, 266 01 Beroun; tel. 0311/3091;and Statni Zidovske Muzeum, Jachymova 3, 110 01 Praha 1; tel. 02/2310634; Frantisek Nezval, 268 01 Horovice 542.
Earliest known Jewish community was late 18th century or early 19th century. 1930 Jewish population was 4 in Praskolesky and 50 in Horovice [Hořovice [Cz], Horschowitz [Ger], Horowitz at with 279 Jews in 1910]. Jews moved to Horovice and big towns after 1848; independent congregation disbanded between 1875-90. This was the birthplace of writer Jiri Weil (1900-59). The unlandmarked Jewish cemetery originated probably in 1865. MUDr Adolf Taussig (died 1913), correspondent inter-national Union for Subduence of TBC, is buried here with last known Conservative or Progressive/Reform Jewish burial in 1950. Horovice (congregation founded in 1875) and Lochoviche, both 4 km away, used site. 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. An iron gate, probably from the original entrance, lays by the road to the cemetery. The pre- and post-WWII size of cemetery is 0.0928 ha.
20-100 stones, most in original location, date from 1865-20th century. The granite and sandstone flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones or multi-stone monuments have Hebrew, German and Czech inscriptions. Some tombstones have iron decorations or lettering. The cemetery contains no known mass graves but has fragments of a pre-burial house. Praha Jewish community owns the Jewish cemetery. Adjacent properties are agricultural and house used by engineer close to the cemetery. Rarely, private visitors and local residents stop. Vandalism occurred occasionally 1981-91 and after 1960. Jewish groups within the country did restoration before 1970 with vandalism afterward. There is no maintenance. Serious threat: uncontrolled access and vegetation. Moderate threat: vandalism. Slight threat: weather erosion, pollution and existing nearby development.
Ladislav Mertl, Mgr. of Geography, Kubanske namesti 1322/17, Praha 10-Vrsovice; tel. 02/743213 and Jiri Fiedler, z"l, Brdickova 1916, 155 00 Praha 5, tel/02/553340 completed survey on 07-07-92. Documentation: Jewish Cemeteries in Bohemia and Moravia(1980); G.A.Schimmer: Statistik des Judenthums... (1982); Frantisek Nezval: Zide v Horovicich a okoli (manuscript, 1986); notes of Statni zidoveske Muzeum Praha; letter of F. Nezval (1984); and census 1930, 1991. Other documentation was inaccessible. The site was not visited. F. Nezval in Prague was interviewed in 1986 and 1989.
UPDATE: I visited this cemetery in the summer 1997 and the information seems quite accurate from my visit. It is very overgrown, but many stones are still standing. The wall is completely down in one area. Source: Vera Finberg 703-978-6990, work 703-790-8088 (Tysons Library) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [1997]