The Czech name derives from silver (Czech: stříbro), which used to be mined here. The German name Mies comes from the name of the river Mies/Mže (Latin: Misa) flowing through the town. Stříbro was a mining settlement, first documented in 1183 that became a town in 1263. A well-preserved fortification with Hussite Bastion and Jewish Gate, construction of the rampart dates back to the first half of the 14th century. The royal town of Stříbro was founded in the late 13th century. The Kladruby Cloister is a very significant monument in Czech history. In the 14th century, the district comprised three towns, three castles and over a hundred villages. Several important battles of the Hussite Wars took place throughout the Tachov region. The fact that in the early 20th century towns such as Stříbro, Bor and Stráž were home to far more Germans than Czechs best documents the region’s strong connection with neighbouring Germany. Before the Second World War, the Czech government decided to build concrete bunkers to protect the Czechs against the expansion of fascist Germany. Although several of these sad monuments were destroyed, you can still find several dozen of them throughout the region. The cross-border region fell to Germany in 1939. Following the forced post-war displacement of Germans, it came back into Czech hands. To this day, the violent resettlement of German citizens remains the subject of numerous property ownership disputes. town website [February 2009]
US Commission No. CZCE000292 [used the cemeteries at Telice and at Svojein before 1900]
Alternate German name: Mies. Stribro is located in Bohemia, Tachov at 49°45′16.1″N 12°59′59″E , 25 km W of Plzen. Cemetery: 1.5 km NNW, close to road leading to village of Ksice. Present town population is 5,000-25,000 with no Jews.
- Town: Mestsky Urad, Namesti 63, 349 01 Stribro; mayor: P. Burski, tel.: 0183/2192.
- Regional: Okresni Urad, Referat Kultury, 347 01 Tachov 1326; tel. 0184/3560; and Zidovska Nabozenska Obec, Smetanovy sady 5, 301 37 Plzen; tel. 019/357-49.
- Interested: Dr. Jiri Janouskovec, Okresni archiv, Namesti 1, 349 11 Stribro; tel. 0183/2304; and Mestske Muzeum, Namesti 1, 349 01 Stribro; tel. 0183/2214, and Statni Zidovske Muzeum, Jachymova 3, 110 01 Praha 1; tel. 02/231-06-34 or 231-07-85.
- Caretaker: with key, Ms. Milada Reznickova, Sobeslavova 39, 349 01 Stribro.
Earliest known Jewish community was after 1850. 1930 Jewish population was 127. Settling of Jews was prohibited until 1848; congregation was founded probably in 1850s. 61 people were in town in 1862, 130 in 1890. The unlandmarked Conservative Jewish cemetery originated in 1900. The rural (agricultural) isolated flat land has a Czech sign or plaque mentioning the Jewish community. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open with permission via continuous masonry wall and locking gate. The pre- and post-WWII size of cemetery is 0.016 ha.
20-100 stones, all in original location, date from 20th century. The marble, granite and limestone finely smoothed and inscribed stones, flat stones with carved relief decoration or multi-stone monuments have Hebrew and Yiddish inscriptions. Some tombstones have portraits on stones and/or metal fences around graves. The cemetery has special section and unmarked mass graves. Within the limits of the site is caretaker house. Plzen Jewish community owns the Jewish cemetery. Adjacent properties are agricultural. Occasionally, private visitors stop. Vandalism occurred probably prior to World War II (1939) by Nazis, during World War II and in 1960s. Individuals or groups of non-Jewish origin, regional/national authorities, Jewish individuals and groups within country did restoration after 1968, 1987-1990. Plzen Jewish congregation pays the regular caretaker. Slight threat: weather erosion and vegetation.
Dr. Peter Braun, Komenskeho 43, 323 13 Plzen; tel. 019/52-15-58; and Rudolf Loewy, Jesenicka 33, 323 23 Plzen; tel. 019/52-06-84; and Jiri Fiedler, z"l, Brdickova 1916, 155 00 Praha 5; tel. 02/55-33-40 completed survey on 5 November 1992. Documentation: Die Juden und Judengemeinden Bohemens. 1934 ; Jahrbuch fur die israelische Cultusgemeinden Bohemens. 1894-1895; Jaroslav Schiebl: "Zide v Plzni" in Plzenisko, XII, 1930. Mr.& Mrs. Reznicek in 1985 were interviewed.