The Jewish Quarter of Třebíč () is a neighborhood and former ghetto in the town of
Třebíč
Třebíč (; ) is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 35,000 inhabitants.
The beginnings of the town's history are connected with the establishment of a Benedictines, Benedictine monastery, where the castle is loca ...
, located in western
Moravia
Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The medieval and early ...
,
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
. The Jewish Quarter is situated on the north bank of the
River Jihlava and is one of the best preserved
Jewish quarter Jewish Quarter may refer to:
*Jewish quarter (diaspora), areas of many cities and towns traditionally inhabited by Jews
*Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem), one of the four traditional quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem
*Jewish Quarter (), a popular name ...
s in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
.
In 2003, together with the nearby Jewish Cemetery and the
St. Procopius Basilica in Třebíč
St. Procopius Basilica () is a Romanesque architecture, Romanesque-Gothic architecture, Gothic Christian church in Třebíč, Czech Republic. It was built on the site of the original Mary (mother of Jesus), Virgin Mary's Chapel of the Benedictine ...
, the Jewish Quarter was inscribed on the
UNESCO World Heritage List
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
, because of its testimony to the exchange of cultures and values in the region.
As of 2013, it was the only Jewish monument outside
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
on the World Heritage List.
Description
The Jewish Quarter is surrounded by rocks and the river, containing 123 houses and two
synagogue
A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
s. Above the Quarter on a hill is the Jewish cemetery, holding roughly 4,000 gravestones.
The cemetery has two sections: one dating from the 15th century, and the other from the 19th century.
The residential buildings in the quarter are generally condominium-style, with several (sometimes up to 16) owners of a subdivided house.
However, the architecture in the quarter varies widely (even across different aspects of the same house), demonstrating the continuous use of the quarter for centuries.
History
The oldest mention of a synagogue in Třebíč is from 1590, although many of gravestones in the cemetery are much older. In the 16th century, orders were given to expel all Jews from the town, although they were not carried out.
The older of the two synagogues still standing dates to the mid-1600s. Unusually for Europe at the time, the Jewish Quarter had its own self-government with an elected magistrate and councilors beginning in the Renaissance.
In 1894, the town had a mayor and was called Zamosti (meaning 'over the bridge').
All original Jewish inhabitants (in 1890 there lived nearly 1,500 Jews, but in the 1930s only 300 of them were of Jewish faith)
were deported and murdered in
concentration camp
A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...
s by
Nazis
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Only ten of them came back after the war. Therefore, many buildings of the Jewish town (e. g. the town hall, rabbi's office, hospital, poorhouse or school) do not serve their original purpose any more and the houses are now owned by people of non-Jewish faith.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jewish Quarter Of Trebic
World Heritage Sites in the Czech Republic
Jewish ghettos in Europe
Jewish Czech history
Jewish Quarters
Třebíč, Jewish Quarter