Jewish Cemetery Gdansk (Stolzenberg) / Cmentarz żydowski w Gdańsku na Chełmie

The first known Jewish cemetery in today's Gdansk was probably established in Stolzenberg (Chełm) in the 16th or early 17th century. With an area of 23,000 square meters, the Stolzenberg Jewish cemetery is one of the oldest in Poland. The cemetery was partially destroyed in 1807 during the siege of Gdansk by Napoleon's army (entrenchments and the stationing of heavy cannons in the cemetery to fire on the fortress of Gdansk). In 1813, the cemetery was damaged again during the Wars of Liberation. In 1815, it was repaired and rebuilt with a tahara house and a guard house. From 1840, the cemetery was gradually expanded: a decorative enclosure and a grave for the head of the Jewish community were built and a cemetery road was laid. The area of the cemetery itself was also enlarged. Trees and shrubs were planted to make it look more like a park. The cemetery remained in this state until the 1930s. After the NSDAP won an absolute majority in the Senate of the Free City of Danzig, it became apparent that the Jewish community would be forced to leave the area. What is interesting and rather rare is that the municipal council was able to negotiate a 10-year peace protection agreement with the Nazi authorities, which the Germans adhered to throughout the war. Unfortunately, the subsequent situation in the People's Republic of Poland was different: Jüdische gravestones became a äußerst sought-after building material. After the last burial in 1956, the cemetery was officially closed. In 2002, the cemetery was taken over by the Jewish community of Gdansk, and in the period 2006-2008, renovation work was carried out on the site.