Jewish cemetery "Kiewer" (Berlin-Spandau)

The Judenkiewer Spandau is the oldest known burial place of the Jewish community in Berlin, it was first mentioned in a document in 1314. The name "Kiewer" is most likely related to the Hebrew and Yiddish word קבר kejwer (grave). The Spandau Jewish community developed into the most important community between Breslau and Magdeburg in the High Middle Ages. The first documentary evidence of the existence of Jews in Spandau dates back to 1307, but gravestone inscriptions make it clear that there must have been a Jewish cemetery here as early as the mid-13th century. This burial place was located outside the city walls in the present-day district of Klosterfelde; presumably a parcel of land called Hasenmark northwest of Spandau's old town. The Jewish community had to pay a price of one schock and 13 groschen for its use, as well as a burial fee and a transit duty for their dead. Until 1543 (according to Eschwege, p.129) the Berlin Jews also buried their dead in Spandau (but possibly in front of the Mühlentor). In 1510 the Jews were expelled from the Mark Brandenburg and as a result the cemetery was also demolished. The gravestones were used between 1520 and 1533 during the construction of the Spandau Citadel.[2] Numerous of these stones, many of which were very massive, were uncovered and recovered during construction work in the 20th century. A total of 70 stones and fragments from the years 1244 to 1474 still exist. The stone from 1244 is the oldest gravestone of the later Berlin at all. The stones can be seen in the museum of the Spandau Citadel, Queen's Bastion. Four of the stones are located in the Jewish Cemetery Heerstraße and two others in the Jewish Museum in Berlin-Kreuzberg. A large part of the stones, which are located at the Spandau Citadel, are now placed in the archaeological window of the Citadel and can be viewed there.