Cemeteries in Lublin - In Lublin itself there are 4 Christian cemeteries, 2 Jewish ones and numerous tombs in churches. The oldest Christian cemetery, Lipowa, was established in 1809, and the oldest Jewish one in the middle of the 16th century.
Most Catholics in Lublin are now being buried in the Majdanek cemetery, opened in the 1970's along side the site of the Majdanek concentration camp, as nearly all available space in the other cemeteries has been used.
Some space is still available in the Lipowa cemetery for Orthodox burials, but as the number of people in the Orthodox faith have dwindled since the Russians left in about 1920, some space has been sold to Catholics at a fair profit.
In Poland you generally rent your space in a cemetery and you can stay for a maximum of 40 years before they dig you up and put your bones in a bone store, although if a decision has been taken to close a cemetery then you will stay. The other exception is if you are famous or part of a national memorial. Even if one of your ancestors paid for a memorial, then after the maximum of 40 years it will be dismantled. Some cemeteries, even Catholic ones, were destroyed during the Germans during the second world war. It is rare to find graves of over 50 years old.
All open cemeteries have offices with lists of grave owners and occupants. Whether these offices would respond to a request for information, I do not yet know, but it might be worth trying if everything else has failed.
Cemeteries often have a chapel, but this is usually only used for services and not as a proper church. The cemetery is often some distance from the local churches and may be divided into different faiths (Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Polish Catholic, Protestant etc.)
| Cmentarz - Cemetery
Rzym - Rome/Roman |
Katolicki - Catholic | Parafia - Parish |
If you are interested in seeing what a Polish cemetery looks like, the Lublin 'Ulica Lipowa Cemetery' page is a good one to visit as it has exceptional coverage. Another page is Changing Fashions in Grave Architecture which, although maybe sounding a bit technical, has lots of pictures from different cemeteries and gives a timeline to the likely styles of grave architecture your ancestors might have chosen.
Jewish Cemeteries : This site is run by the "International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies". Probably the best source of up to date information about the present state of individual cemeteries.
Kazimierz Dolny
The Jewish Cemetery
The Jewish cemetery was completely destroyed in the second world war and the gravestones broken up and used to pave a road whilst others were buried at a Franciscan monastery. The gravestones have been returned to the cemetery just outside the town, and were used to build a wall commemorating Jews who died during the war.Lublin
The Old Jewish Cemetery
Established in the mid sixteenth century, this is one of the oldest jewish cemeteries in Poland. It was closed finally in the middle of the 19th century. It is usually referred to as just the old Jewish cemetery, but sometimes as the dawne (old) Grodzisko, after the area in which it is located.After the the damage and neglect it received since the beginning of the second world war, not much is left of the original layout of the graves. Some 50, of the few remaining gravestones, dating from the 16th to the 18th century have been re-erected in new locations alongside a path through the cemetery. The cemetery itself is surrounded by a high and solid brick wall.
The cemetery is looked after by an old jewish man currently, but I do not know what will happen after he dies. Fewer than 10 000 jews are left in Poland, and most of them are elderly.
The Wieniawa Jewish Cemetery
This no longer exists beyond a piece of rough, flat ground on a spur on the south side of the Czechowka valley. Wieniawa was once a predominantly Jewish town just outside Lublin, but now it is an almost central sector. The grave stones were removed by the Germans during world war 2, some having now been recovered after it was discovered that the Germans had used them to strengthen the foundations of some buildings. These recovered gravestones are now at the New Jewish Cemetery in Lublin. For a picture of the cemetery today :Wieniawa CemeteryLipowa Street Catholic and Orthodox Cemetery
This is the oldest surviving Christian cemetery in Lublin. It is within the city itself and close to the center. It contains many monuments to causes (November Uprising etc.), famous Polish and local people as well as a range monuments to other people, all set amongst mature trees. It is a beautiful cemetery and very popular.For pictures of the cemetery itself, its history etc., try the page : ULICA LIPOWA CEMETERY, which also has a list of notable people buried there (one of whom may be related, they must be somebody's)
The New Jewish Cemetery
This cemetery was opened in the mid 19th century to replace the old cemetery. This cemetery was badly damaged during the second world war and during the communist period, a new road (Lenin Street) was built on part of it in the 1960's, during a period when it was politically incorrect to even consider jewish heritage.Polish Catholic Cemetery
Opened in the late 19th century in the village of Ponikwoda and still
being used, although the number of Polish Catholics have dwindled. Photo's
of the cemetery. Ponikwoda is now a northern suburb of Lublin.
Unicka Street Cemetery
Opened in 1932 to cope with the expanding population. It was located close to the newer Jewish cemetery in what at the time was almost green field siteAddress: Cmentarz Rzymskokatolicki, Unicka 2, Lublin.
"Kalinowszczyzna" Cemetery
This is the smallest cemetery in Lublin.Majdanek Cemetery
This was opened in the 1970's and is growing fast as it is about the only place where you can buy yourself a new plot in Lublin. It is situated next to the Majdanek concentration camp site.Hrubieszów (Hrubieszow)
The Jewish Cemetery
After years of neglect and the threat to build a block of flats on the site, the cemetery is being restored, with about 70 stones being collected from all over the town and returned to the cemeteryNałęczów (Naleczow)
A cemetery under tree cover on a hillside. Photo's of the Cemetery. Address: Cmentarz, Bochotnica 5, Naleczow.Sobibór (Sobibor)
An abandoned cemetery in a wood of predominantly Uniate's, with some Roman Catholics. A few burials occured as late as the 1980's. Photo's of the cemetery.Trawniki
Opened in 1972, shortly after the completion of the church. Prior to this most burials occured in nearby Biskupice - the exceptions being the local gentry who had there own chapel. Photo's of the cemetery on the Trawniki PageWąwolnica (Wawolnica)
Address: Cmentarz Parafialny, Zamkowa 24, Wawolnica.
LUBELSKIE GENEALOGY WEB
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