The Jewish community was densely settled in the eastern part of this region with the only remainder after the Holocaust being the desolate synagogues in Jindrichuv Hradec and Telc and cemeteries in Markvarec, Stare Mesto pod Landstejnem, Dolni Bolikov, Jindrichuv Hradec and Nova Bystrice. (Source of information about Jewish communities in the area.) The largest Jewish community in the whole region came into existence as a consequence of the migration after 1670.Thirty-two families lived here in 1782. A Jewish one-room school was established in the same year. Jews were 37% of all inhabitants in Pisecne in 1794, 334 Jews in 1857, and 51 in 1900. Leaving villages for towns caused neighbouring congregations to close and subordinate to Pisecne (Markvarec in 1888, Olsany in 1890, Dolni Bolikov in 1891). The school was closed in 1902. The congregation existed until September 1938 when this borderland was annexed to the Reich and the Jews fled to the remainder of Czechoslovakia. A synagogue built during 1768 - 1782 was demolished in 1948. On the way leaving the center of the village over the brook Krokovicky to the hill Za hrbitovem, about 50 m behind the last house on the left hand side is the cemetery with tombstones from the first half of the 18th century. The last legible tombstone dates from 11th August 1936. The whole cemetry including the ceremonial hall, cemetery wall, and tombstones are really unique in their preservation. The cemetery is locked and the key available from the custodian. [February 2009]
US Commission No. CZCE000149
Alternate name: Priesling in German. Pisecne is located in Morava-Jindrichuv Hradec at 48.57 15.28, 50 km S of Jihlava. Cemetery: 0.5 km SW. Present town population is under 1,000 with no Jews.
- Town: magistrate Vladimir Macku, Ocbeni urad, 378 72 Pisecne n. D.; tel. 0332/97025.
- Regional: Engineer arch. Karel Papousek, Okresni Urad-Referat Kultury, Janderova 147/II, 377 00 Jindrichuv Hradec; tel. 0331/26241.
- Interested: Okresn Muzeum Balbinovo namesti 19/I, 377 00 Jindrichuv Hradec; tel 0331/21346.
Earliest known Jewish community was 1700. 1930 Jewish population was 14. The Jewish community ceased in 1890. Michael Lazar Cohn, +1893, rabbi; Dr. Michael Holzmann, writer lived here. The Jewish cemetery originated in beginning of 18th century with last known Conservative Jewish burial before 1942. Slavonice, 10km away, used this landmarked (Nr. 2089 S.B.) cemetery. The isolated and wooded hillside has inscriptions on pre-burial house. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all via a broken masonry wall and non-locking gate. The pre- and post-WWII size of cemetery is about 80 by 30 meters.
100-500 stones, all in original location, date from 1733-20th century. The marble and granite flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones and flat stones with carved relief decoration have Hebrew and German inscriptions. Some tombstones have traces of painting on their surfaces. The cemetery contains no special memorial monuments or known mass graves. Within the limits of the site is a pre-burial house with wall inscriptions. Praha Jewish community owns cemetery. Adjacent properties are forest. Rarely, private visitors stop. Vandalism occurred prior to World War II. There is no maintenance or caretaker. Moderate threat: vegetation. Slight threat: uncontrolled access, weather erosion, pollution, vandalism, and existing and proposed nearby development.
Engineer arch. Jaroslav Klenovsky, Zebetinska 13, 623 00 Brno. Tel. 0 completed survey on 1.3.1992. Documentation: Gold. Herman. Other exisiting documentation was not used. Klenovsky visited site