CEMETERY:

There may be three cemeteries. A tiny Orthodox cemetery, on the side of a hill near an apartment complex with no fence, has about 34 burials. I photographed each stone. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

[UPDATE] Photos of Rotislavova Street Cemetery by Charles Burns [November 2017]

[UPDATE] Photos of Tatranska Street Cemetery by Charles Burns [November 2017]

Photos from 1992 courtesy This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [November 2015]

Photos from 1969 and 1992 courtesy This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [November 2015]

US Commission No. SLCE000092

Kosice is located S of Presov. The urban, hillside cemetery, part of a municipal cemetery, has no sign, but has Jewish symbols on gate or wall. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all via a masonry wall and locking gate. 500-5000 marble, granite, limestone, sandstone, and other materials 19th-20th century tombstones, all in original locations, are flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, flat stones with carved relief decoration, or multi-stone monuments. Some have metal fences around graves. Inscriptions are Hebrew, German, Slovak, and Hungarian. There is a pre-burial house in the cemetery. The local Jewish community owns the property. Adjacent properties are other cemeteries. Frequently organized Jewish groups, tours, and private visitors visit. Re-erection of stones, cleaning stones, clearing vegetation, and fixing of wall is maintenance. There is a regular caretaker. No threats, but vegetation is a seasonal problem, preventing access. date?

burial list of 27 graves in Verejný cintorín. Burial list of Starý židovský cintorín (old) . [January 2010]

UPDATE: The cemetery has been maintained by me for the lahst 8 years. Every year, I raise money from relatives of people buried at the cemetery and business associates. There is no problem accessing any of the graves. When the cemetery was vandalized about two years ago. I raised about half of the money needed for restoration. Every year is harder to raise enough funds for proper care. I get very little help from the locals. There is still about 700-800 Jews in town. Total population of Kosice is nearing 300,000 people. Source: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Atlantic Beach, NY 11509 [August 2005]

UPDATE: Haaretz , April 23, 2002 . "Vandals destroy Slovak Jewish graves" By Reuters. "BRATISLAVA - Vandals damaged more than 100 graves at a Slovak Jewish cemetery in what local officials called the country's worst attack on the Jewish community since the second world war, the TASR news agency has reported. Quoting witnesses to the damage, TASR said Sunday that police had begun an investigation into the damaged gravestones in the oldest Orthodox part of the largest Jewish cemetery in Slovakia, located in the eastern city of Kosice. Two police spokesmen contacted by Reuters said they had no official information on the incident. Jaroslov Franek, a spokesman for the Jewish community in Slovakia, told Reuters he could not confirm the TASR story. According to the agency, police have not ruled out a connection between the vandalism and the 113th anniversary of Adolf Hitler's birth on Saturday. Witnesses said the vandalism appeared to have been committed by a rather large group of people." [April 2002]

UPDATE: The old Jewish cemetery on Tatranska Street is very overhgrown with weeds and appeared to have a low priority with the local 500 person Jewish Community when I visited in July 2001. Sourceh: Chuck Lissauer, 15 Brandywood Drive, Pepper Pike, Ohio 44124-5501; (216) 514-8694. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.[September 2001]

History with names. Kosice is a large city in eastern Slovakia, near the Ukranian and Hungarian borders. The Jewish cemetery is tiny and remote, hidden among trees. With 10-15 grave markers, the site is not fenced with no indication as to grave location. Juraj Czikk, a doctor in Košice (phone number 62 53836), showed us the site. The cemetery must have been larger at one time, as there were a number of synagogues in Košice. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.: 

An extremely large cemetery [Rotislavova Street], next to the Christian cemetery in Košice, with thousands of burials, has a large Neolog section and an equally large Orthodox section. A Holocaust monument was dedicated in 1969. Of the seven graveyards I visited in Slovakia, this one was the best tended. Although there is a lot of vegetation growth around the stones, they are still mostly accessible. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.: Paul Klein

Rostislavova ulica [Street]: Located in a district at the outskirts of the town, one can reach the cemetery by a cab or by a bus that goes to the airport, a 15 minute ride from downtown. The Neolog and Orthodox Jewish cemeteries adjoin the main Christian cemetery. One enters via the Christian cemetery's entrance, turning to left and walking to the far end of the Christian section where the Jewish Neolog cemetery's gate is located and kept open. Hours: correspond to Christian cemetery. (Mondays thru Fridays, 8 AM to 5 PM). At the entrance is a pre-burial house. Holocaust Memorial is not far from the entrance. The grave-keeper sometimes is at the premises can instruct visitors about finding graves. The cemetery is very large so finding graves is not easy. The plot is divided into two sections, the Neolog (largest) in the front and the Orthodox in the back. Walking the hilly site demands quite an effort. Well kept and clean even in winter, this active cemetery shows no signs of vandalism. The very large area surrounded by a brickwall must have over five thousand graves, some dating from the early 19th century. Graves are mostly marble and granite, some of sand and limestone. Source: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;

"Vandals in Slovakia Hit Jewish Cemetery. Vandals damaged more than 100 graves at a Slovak Jewish cemetery in what local officials called the worst attack on the Jewish community in the country since World War II, the TASR news agency reported today [Apr 22, 2002] Quoting witnesses to the damage, TASR said the police had begun an investigation into the damaged gravestones in the largest Jewish cemetery in Slovakia, in the eastern city of Kosice. Two police spokesmen said they had no official information on the incident. Jaroslov Franek, a spokesman for the Jewish community in Slovakia, said he could not confirm the TASR report. The news agency reported that the police had not ruled out a connection between the vandalism and the 113th anniversary of Hitler's birth on Saturday." NY TImes Aor 22, 2002.

Map of Town

Photos of Town

History of Town

town images Alternate name: Kassa. [February 2009]

Town Košice
	Address:	Phone:	00 421 55 641 91 12
	Mestský úrad	Fax:	00 421 55 643 71 75
	TRIEDA SNP 48/A	Email:	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	040 11 Košice SLOVAKIA	Web:	www.kosice.sk