Jewish cemetery (Potsdam)

On the slope of today's Pfingstberg the Jewish cemetery was established on October 28, 1743. The cemetery area was provided by Frederick the Great. Today, the cemetery is the only functional resting place of Potsdam Jews. It covers an area of almost 2000 m² and houses grave monuments of the 18th and 19th centuries.

After in the early 19th century the mourning hall had become too small, the new buildings for it began already 1856. Finally 1911 developed thus the mourning hall which can be found today. It is the only building in Brandenburg that allows the ritual washing of the corpse, the Tahara, because it has a water connection. When entering the cemetery, it can be observed that older graves are initially arranged in a semicircle, while newer graves are later in straight rows. This is another sign that there was a lack of space in the cemetery, which is why it was expanded several times. Families and spouses were mostly buried next to each other. A total of 532 graves have been laid out on the site so far, although there is no special field for rabbis. Parallel to the cemetery wall runs the honorary row, which includes 21 graves of meritorious personalities.

In the Reich Pogrom Night on November 9, 1938, in addition to the synagogue on Platz der Einheit, the cemetery's mourning hall was also severely damaged. Nevertheless, the Jewish community managed to regain its footing after 1990 and burials at the cemetery in Potsdam continued. With the help of international work camps and over 2.5 million DM from state funds, the cemetery was restored.

School classes and visitors can take part in registered tours there and learn the stories behind individual gravestones. It has also been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.