The Old Remuh Jewish Cemetery — the cradle of Jewish Krakow

Zaplanuj wizytę Heritage Journeys

The Old Jewish Cemetery in Krakow was founded in 1535, shortly after the construction of the Remuh Synagogue on the same site. The Krakow Jewish community — one of the oldest and most distinguished in Central Europe — received permission from King Sigismund I the Old to establish a cemetery for the growing population of Kazimierz, then a separate royal town founded in 1335 by Casimir the Great.

Over the following two and a half centuries the cemetery became the burial place of the most eminent Krakow rabbis, Talmudic scholars, kabbalists and community leaders. Here, in 1572, Rabbi Moses Isserles — known by the acronym Remuh — was buried, whose Mappah commentary on the Shulchan Aruch of Joseph Karo established the canon of halachic law for Ashkenazi Judaism. The Remuh ohel — a small stone tomb in the central part of the cemetery — remains a place of pilgrimage for Orthodox Jews from around the world, particularly on the anniversary of the Tzaddik’s passing (the 33rd day of the Omer, Lag BaOmer).

Later generations saw the burial here of Rabbi Joel Sirkis (the Bach), author of the Bayit Chadash codification; Rabbi Yom Tov Lipmann Heller, author of the celebrated Tosefot Yom Tov commentary on the Mishnah; Rabbi Nathan Nata Spira, kabbalist and author of Megaleh Amukot; and many other scholars whose matzevot bear witness to the intellectual brilliance of the Krakow community in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries.

The cemetery was officially closed to new burials in 1800, after the opening of the New Cemetery at ul. Miodowa. For the next 140 years it remained a place of pilgrimage and remembrance, although it gradually deteriorated.

During the German occupation the Germans devastated the cemetery. Most matzevot were pulled out, broken or carted away as building material. The cemetery grounds themselves were turned into a rubble dump. Only the Remuh ohel miraculously survived — by the oral tradition of the Krakow Jews, by God’s own hand staying those who would have touched the grave of the Tzaddik.

After the war, the surviving Krakow Jews began the long labour of restoring the cemetery. In the 1950s it was discovered that many broken matzevot had been buried shallowly beneath the surface — most likely hidden by the community before the war in anticipation of German destruction. The recovered fragments were assembled into the famous memorial wall set into the western boundary of the cemetery — one of the most moving Jewish memorial objects in Europe. Today about seven hundred matzevot are visible in the cemetery, including outstanding examples of sixteenth- to eighteenth-century funerary stonework.

The Remuh cemetery is reached through the synagogue complex — entry from ul. Szeroka 40, through the synagogue gate. There is an admission charge (covering the synagogue as well); opening hours are Sunday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00 in summer and to 16:00 in winter. The cemetery is closed on Saturdays (Shabbat) and on Jewish holidays.

Men and boys from the age of thirteen are required to cover their heads — kippot are available at the synagogue entrance. Women are not obliged to cover their heads, although married women in Orthodox circles wear a head scarf.

The tradition of placing small stones on graves is observed here as well — thousands of stones, left by successive generations of pilgrims, may be seen at the Remuh ohel. Visitors may leave a stone of their own or a small written petition (kvitl) — a tradition connected with appeals for the Tzaddik’s intercession.

Men of priestly descent (kohanim) traditionally do not enter the cemetery. The Remuh Synagogue is reached through a separate entrance, so that a kohen may join the prayer without entering the cemetery grounds.

Photography of matzevot is permitted, but we ask for restraint — this remains a sacred place, even though it is no longer used for burial. Within the Remuh ohel we ask for silence and no use of flash.

Zasady wizyty:

• • Nakrycie głowy: wymagane (mężczyźni, chłopcy 13+)
• • Otwarcie: Sunday–Friday 09:00–18:00 summer (09:00–16:00 winter); closed Saturday (Shabbat) and Jewish holidays
• • Tradycja kładzenia kamyków: tak — symbol pamięci
• • Fotografia: dozwolona z szacunkiem

For families seeking forebears buried at the Remuh cemetery the key source is the vital records of the Krakow Jewish community preserved at the National Archive in Krakow (a portion is available online through the JewishGen database). Many inscriptions on surviving matzevot have been catalogued in the project of the Foundation for the Documentation of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland — this database is publicly accessible and allows matzevot to be searched by surname, father’s name and date of death.

For families descended from one of the great Krakow rabbinic dynasties (Remuh, Bach, Tosefot Yom Tov) the archives of the Yeshivat Chachmei Lublin and the Avotaynu database may also be useful. JCC Krakow and the Galicia Jewish Museum at ul. Dajwór 18 offer genealogical consultations — we help arrange a meeting in advance of your visit.

The Remuh cemetery is reached through the gate of the Remuh Synagogue at ul. Szeroka 40 — in the very heart of Kazimierz, a few dozen metres from the main square of the district. The Mercedes V-Class draws up at plac Wolnica or at ul. Bożego Ciała — ul. Szeroka is partly pedestrianised. From most Kazimierz hotels (Hotel Stary, Hotel Eden, PURO Krakow Kazimierz) the walk takes five minutes.

A visit to the Remuh cemetery combines naturally with a visit to the Remuh Synagogue (joint admission) and a walk along ul. Szeroka and the streets of Józefa, Estery and Izaaka. A standard visit takes one to one and a half hours, including the synagogue and reflection at the Remuh ohel. For Orthodox pilgrims reciting prayers at the grave of the Tzaddik we reserve more time and an earlier entry.

For guests combining the visit at Remuh with the New Jewish Cemetery (ten minutes on foot) we plan a Kazimierz afternoon with a single vehicle and a walking coordinator-driver. Hotel pickup and return are included.