Wieluń is a city in central Poland with 24,347 inhabitants in 2006 in the Łódź Voivodeship since 1999 and previously in Sieradz Voivodeship (1975-1998).
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Archeological findings indicate that the area was settled in 2500 BC. The beginnings of Wieluń date from the first half of the 13th century. By legend, in 1217 Władysław Odonic, the Duke of Greater Poland, spotted a deer while hunting came upon the Lamb of God. He founded a settlement in that spot. The name Jeluń was transformed into Wieluń. The final blowsto the town's development were plague in 1707-1711 that killed about 2,000 people died and fires in 1791 and 1858. ShtetLink. [July 2009]
CEMETERY: Located at 17 Kijak Street, the cemetery was founded around 1850 with the last recorded burial in 1940. During WWII, the Nazis destroyed it, using gravestones to pave roads and built a swimming pool. Initially the cemetery occupied 1.3 ha. No gravestones survived. In the 1980s, the site was cleaned and a monument erected in memory of those murdered by the Germans during World War II. [July 2009]
US Commission No. POCE000678
The town is located in Sieradz region at 51º13 N 18º34, 46 km from Sieradz. Cemetery: Kijak Street. Present town population is 5,000-25,000 with no Jews.
- Local: Urzad Miasta I Gminy, ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego 2, 98-300 Wielun, tel. 41-95.
- Regional: Wojewodzki Konserwator Zabytkow, ul. Kosciuszki 3, 98-200 Sieradz, tel. 849-3815.
- Interested: Urzad Wojewodzki w Sieradzu, Plac Wojewodzki 3, 98-200 Sieradz, tel. 849-71666. Zydowski Instytut Historjycsny w Polsce, ul. Tlomackie 315; 00-090 Warszawa; tel. 27- 92-21.
The earliest known Jewish community dates from the 18th century, possibly, but definitely the 19th century. 1921 Jewish population was 4,818 (43.6%.) The landmarked Jewish cemetery was established in the 19th century with last known Orthodox or Conservative Jewish burial 1940. The isolated suburban flat land has a sign in Polish mentioning Jews and the Holocaust. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all with no wall, fence, or gate. The pre- and post-WWII cemetery size is 1.5 ha. No stones are visible. The cemetery contains special memorial monuments to Holocaust victims, but no known mass graves. The municipality owns the property used only as a Jewish cemetery. Adjacent property is agricultural. Occasionally, organized Jewish groups, individual tours, private visitors, and local residents stop. It was vandalized during World War II but not in the last ten years with no maintenance or care. Within the limits of the cemetery are no structures. Vegetation, seasonal problem preventing access, is a serious threat. Properties adjacent to the cemetery are forest. Incompatible nearby development is a moderate threat. Weather erosion, pollution, and vandalism are slight threats.
Adam Penkalla, deceased, completed survey in Nov 1992 using private documentation. He visited the cemetery.
