DISTRICT: Würzburg (Wuerzburg).
LOCATION OF CEMETERY:
- The cemetery, Am Judengarten, can clearly be seen about 200 yds from the road about half way between Allersheim and Gützingen. A footpath leads from the road to the main gate.
IN USE:
- From second half of 17th century until last burial in 1967.
- NUMBER OF GRAVESTONES: about 2000 graves, many with gravestones, are still in evidence. The oldest datable gravestone is from 1729.
DOCUMENTATION:
- Numerous recent photographs of gravestones and general views in Alemannia Judaica.
PUBLICATIONS:
- Israel Schwierz: see below under Sources.
NOTES:
- This gated and walled cemetery consists of three sections, very old, old and more recent. The original area was aquired from the monastery Kloster Bronnbach in May 1665, which included having to pay a levy to the monastery for every burial. The very old part is now heavily overgrown. The old cemetery is densely covered by trees and shrubs and contains some very beautiful gravestones with Hebrew inscriptions only. The more recent portion has gravestones inscribed both in Hebrew and German. The cemetery was officially closed in 1942 during the Nazi era. The cemetery is being maintained in reasonably good condition.
- From its beginning this cemetery served as a collective burial ground for numerous Jewish communities in a large surrounding area until they established their own cemeteries at a later date. The communities involved were Acholshausen, Allersheim, Aub, Bütthard, Dittigheim, Fuchsstadt, Gaukönigshofen, Geroldshausen, Giebelstadt, Goßmannsdorf, Grünsfeld, Heidingsfeld (until 1810), Höchberg (until 1821), Impfingen, Kirchheim (bei Würzburg), Messelhausen, Reichenberg, Rottenbauer, Sommerhausen, Tauberrettersheim, Obernbreit and Würzburg.
- A mortuary was ceremoniously dedicated in 1929.
- The cemetery was desecrated in April 1936 when 19 gravestones were toppled and heavily damaged. Further vandalism occurred also after 1945. The surrounding stone wall of the cemetery had to be partially replaced by a concrete wall in the 1960s. There are three gates in the wall.
SOURCES: Alemannia Judaica and Schwierz, page 32 (LBI).
(Researched and translated from German July 2009)