The Bródno Jewish Cemetery — the oldest trace of the Warsaw kehilla

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The Bródno Jewish Cemetery was founded in 1780, in the late Saxon era, when the Warsaw Jewish community received permission from King Stanisław August Poniatowski to acquire land for a cemetery in what was then the village of Bródno on the right bank of the Vistula. Praga, where the Jewish community had settled from the seventeenth century, was a natural location — far from the city centre but accessible from Targówek, Praga, Białołęka and the surrounding noble estates.

Over the following fifty years the cemetery served the entire Warsaw kehilla — the first rabbis of Warsaw, merchants, craftsmen, members of the Hasidic brotherhoods of Aleksander and Kotzk were laid to rest here. Burials at Bródno included both communal (the quarters of the poor, sponsored by the Chevra Kadisha) and private (the family tombs of well-to-do merchants and bankers). Among those buried here were members of the Bergson family — a banking dynasty whose descendant the French philosopher Henri Bergson (Nobel laureate 1927) carried the name into the twentieth century.

In 1806 the Okopowa cemetery was opened and most of the Warsaw community’s prominent figures began to choose the new cemetery — closer to the centre, more prestigious. Bródno nonetheless remained active for burials of the right-bank community (Praga, Targówek, Białołęka) and for the poor of the whole of Warsaw, interred by the Chevra Kadisha.

In the interwar years the cemetery continued to receive burials — the total figure across 165 years of its existence (1780–1945) is estimated at 250,000 persons.

During the German occupation Bródno was devastated systematically. The Germans carted matzevot away as building material — among other purposes for paving the streets of Praga and for fortification works. Hundreds of family tombs were broken open, and the cemetery grounds themselves were used as a rubble dump. In the final months of the war the Germans used the cemetery for executions.

After the war the cemetery was in a state of extreme destruction. Most matzevot were missing, the paths had vanished beneath rubble and undergrowth. Unlike Okopowa, which was reclaimed quickly and given regular care, Bródno was left in neglect for decades. During the PRL period the cemetery grounds were used among other purposes for illegal sand extraction — some sections of the cemetery were permanently damaged.

A gradual restoration began only in the 1980s and 1990s, led by the Warsaw Jewish Religious Community and the Jewish Cemetery Foundation. From 2010 a systematic inventory of surviving matzevot has been under way — several thousand have been located, a portion in a condition that permits the reading of inscriptions.

In 2018 a memorial monument was raised at the gate of the cemetery and the grounds were surrounded by new fencing. The cemetery is not freely accessible, however — visits require advance arrangement with the Warsaw community, which organises group entries on Sundays and individual visits for families seeking the graves of forebears.

A visit to the Bródno cemetery requires advance arrangement with the Warsaw Jewish Religious Community — the cemetery is not freely accessible. The community organises group entries on Sundays and individual visits for families seeking the graves of forebears. Bookings should be made at least two weeks in advance; VIP Transfers coordinates contact and the timing.

The standard customs of a Jewish cemetery apply. Men and boys from the age of thirteen are required to cover their heads — kippot are available at the gate or brought by the community attendant. The cemetery is closed on Saturdays (Shabbat) and on Jewish holidays.

The tradition of placing stones is observed. Men who are kohanim traditionally do not enter the cemetery and may accompany the family from outside the boundary.

The cemetery is partly overgrown — in its deeper sections narrow paths lead through dense bushes and trees. We recommend footwear suited to uneven ground and long trousers (protection against ticks and insects in the summer season).

Photography is permitted with respect for the gravity of the place. Given the neglected condition of the cemetery, many visitors experience strong emotion — the community attendant is prepared to provide context and support.

Zasady wizyty:

• • Nakrycie głowy: wymagane (mężczyźni, chłopcy 13+)
• • Otwarcie: By appointment via Warsaw Jewish Community (Sundays, organised group visits); not freely accessible. Closed Saturday (Shabbat) and Jewish holidays
• • Tradycja kładzenia kamyków: tak — symbol pamięci
• • Fotografia: dozwolona z szacunkiem

For families seeking the graves of forebears buried at Bródno the principal challenge is the fragmentary state of documentation. German devastation and post-war neglect mean that only a portion of surviving matzevot bear legible inscriptions. The database of the Warsaw Jewish Religious Community currently includes several thousand indexed Bródno matzevot — significantly fewer than at Okopowa.

Useful complementary sources: the Archive of the Jewish Historical Institute (Warsaw community registers 1826–1942, partially relevant to Bródno), JewishGen (Warsaw Cemetery Project), and the Foundation for the Documentation of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland.

If a forebear was buried before 1806, Bródno is the only place where they may lie — all earlier Warsaw cemeteries were liquidated. A consultation with the community genealogist will help determine whether a burial record survives.

The Bródno Jewish Cemetery lies at ul. św. Wincentego 15 in the Targówek district, about 7 km from central Warsaw. The Mercedes V-Class draws up at the gate — parking is available on the street. From most central hotels (InterContinental, Bristol, Polonia Palace) the drive takes 20 to 25 minutes.

The visit requires advance arrangement with the community (at least two weeks). A standard visit lasts one and a half to two hours — the cemetery is extensive but physically demanding (uneven ground, overgrown paths). The driver remains at the vehicle.

For guests combining the visit with other sites of Warsaw’s Jewish remembrance (Okopowa, POLIN, the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes) we arrange a full-day programme with two cemeteries and the museum. Hotel pickup and returns are included.