Szél Street Israelite Cemetery Memorial Park
The Szél Street Israelite Cemetery was opened in the 1730s by Jewish families who settled in the city. Burials on the site were terminated in 1882 because the ground was extremely rocky. Over a century and a half, some 450 people were buried there. In the last century, some gravestones have been removed, broken and many were covered with soil over time.
When the German forces occupied Veszprém in June 1944, the Jews in the city and some of the surrounding area were moved to the Veszprém ghetto. They were deported to Auschwitz in July 1944. In 1945, survivors who returned from the death and labour camps re-established the community. By 1949, the number of synagogue members had dwindled to 84, a number which has continued to decline in recent decades.
To this day, the Jewish community of Veszprém uses the Israelite Cemetery on Mártírok útja (Road of Martyrs).
The former Szél Street Israelite Cemetery is now desolate: unfenced and bumpy, with most of the gravestones covered in earth and others lying scattered. The tragedy of the Veszprém Jews, who contributed so significantly to the city's rise, is a painful memory and their absence is a great loss for the city to the present day. Supported by the European Capital of Culture 2023 programme, the former Jewish cemetery will be declared a memorial park. It will be integrated into everyday life as an intimate place of remembrance, relaxation and contemplation for the population of Veszprém.
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Photo: Csaba Toroczkai -
Photo: Csaba Toroczkai -
Photo: Csaba Toroczkai -
Photo: Csaba Toroczkai -
Photo: Csaba Toroczkai
