49°24' N, 09°55' E. 28 miles S of Würzburg, 52 miles W of Nürnberg, in Main-Tauber-Kreis, NE Baden-Württemberg. Jewish population: 215 (in 1854), 81 (in 1933). Niederstetten is a town and a municipality in Main-Tauber district. The main attraction is the Castle Haltenbergstetten. Germany's biggest pig market (every Monday morning). Air force base is here.
- Encyclopedia of Jewish Life (2001), p. 890: "Niederstetten".
- Pinkas HaKehilot, Germany, Vol. 2 (1986), p. 134: "Niederstetten"
- Joachim Hahn and Jürgen Krüger: Synagogues in Baden-Wuerttemberg . Volume 2: Joachim Hahn: places and institutions . Theiss, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-8062-1843-5 ( Memorial Book of the synagogues in Germany . Volume 4)
- Eva Maria Kraiss / Marion Reuter : Bet hahayim. House of Life. Jewish cemeteries in Württembergisch francs. Künzelsau 2003rd . ISBN 3-89929-009-7
(Webmaster's comment: Extremely beautiful and informative images and text strip with excellent photos of the cemeteries in Berlichingen Braunsbach, Crailsheim, Creglingen Dünsbach, Hohebach, Krautheim, Ljubljana, Michelbach, Niederstetten , Öhringen, Steinbach, Weikersheim) - JewishGen GerSIG
JEWISH CEMETERY:
Niederstetten's Jews were buried in Schopfloch or Unterbalbach and since 1730 in the Jewish cemetery at Weikersheim. In 1737, a separate cemetery was built and increased in 1933. The Jewish cemetery in Won Salmhof has an area of 35.69 Ar . 478 gravestones are visible, the oldest from 1739. The last burial took place in the 1939. Jews from Archshofen , Creglingen, Gerabronn and Mulfingen also are buried here. Photos and history: Located quite a bit above and beyond the city, but a walkable distance, a massive gate blocks the entrance. Only about 1.70 m high, the grooved and massive stone wall surrounds old gravestones and graves overgrown the vegetation. Initially the cemetery was surrounded by a simple wooden fence until 1859 when a massive wall was erected when the community's raised 2,000 guilder over a period of year. The rest had to be financed. In 1885 was the first cemetery desecration (4 gravestones). In Autumn 1929, the Jewish communities of southern Germany shocked when unknown people scratched swastikas in 15 older tall gravestones.This was the first desecration of the Jewish cemetery in Württemberg by Nazis. [Mar 2013]
- Jewish Cemetery Niederstetten the Central Archives for the Study of the History of the Jews in Germany [Mar 2013]
- Jewish Cemetery Niederstetten at Alemannia Judaica [Mar 2013]
- satellite view. [Mar 2013]
97996 Baden-Württemberg (Gerz, Peters).
LOCATION OF CEMETERY: South-East of Niederstetten (Detail – Gewann Salmhof).
IN USE: From 1737 until 1939.
NUMBER OF GRAVESTONES: 478. Oldest dateable gravestone 1739.
DOCUMENTATION:
- 1989 photographs of all gravestones with mapping of graves by Zentralarchiv.
- 1996 cemetery documentation including above photographs by the Office for Historic Monuments (Landesdenkmalamt ed. Michal Antmann).
- Numerous photographs of individual gravestones and general cemetery views in Alemannia Judaica.
- History by Stern 1928.
- Two photographic overviews and one single gravestone photograph by Württemberg 1932, pages 108 and 109.
- Eva Maria Kraiss: Bet Hachajim – Haus des Lebens: jüdische Friedhöfe in Wuerttembergisch Franken Künzelsau (2003) ISBN 3-89929-009-7(LBI).
- The cemeteries in Schopfloch (Bavaria), and Unterbalbach were used for burials prior to 1730. Between 1737 and 1741 the local Jewish community opend their own cemetery, which was last enlarged in 1933. Since 1730 an arrangement existed for the co-usage of the Weikersheim cemetery (Sauer 1966, page 134) (LBI).
- Initially a simple wooden fence surrounded the cemetery. This was replaced in 1859 by a massive stone wall, which cost the community 2000 Guilders, of which 654 Guilders were collected by way of contributions over the years. A further 477 Guilders were collected in in 1859, with the remainder being financed through a loan agreement.
- The Niederstetten cemetery was used from time to time for burials by the Jewish communities of Archshofen, Creglingen, Gerabronn and Mulfingen.
- The Chewra book of the Chewra Kadischa was maintained until 1928, with entries going back to 1741 (Stern 1929).
- The Jewish communities in southern Germany were alarmed in the autumn of 1929 by media reports about vandalism of the Niederstetten cemetery. The reports stated that 15 of the oldest gravestones had been besmirched on both sides with swastikas. This was the first reported desecration of a Jewish cemetery in Württemberg by Nazi thugs.
- The cemetery was also desecrated in 1993, when several gravestones were toppled and some besmirched with swastikas and the Star of David (Cemetery documentation, page 3).
[Researched and translated from German August 2008]
To see information and photographs of individual gravestones in cemeteries in Baden-Wuerttemberg, click on this link and follow the directions on that page.