Restoration work has been going on for many years at the Jewish cemetery on Seegasse St., the oldest preserved Jewish cemetery in Vienna. The Vienna city government’s culture department reports that a milestone in the process recently took place:
“The 50th headstone has recently been fully restored and put up in its original position. 24 more headstones will be restored in the next few years to keep the evidence of Jewish history in Vienna alive for future generations.”
The cemetery includes 349 gravestones dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. It is believed to have been founded in 1540 — the oldest legible stone dates from 1582 — and it operated until 1783, when the Emperor Joseph II banned issued a decree banning burials inside what today is the “Gurtel” ring around inner Vienna. Many prominent 17th and 18th century Jewish figures were buried here, including the financier and Court Jew Samuel Oppenheimer and Samson Wertheimer, who succeeded him as Court Jew.
Back in 1670, following a pogrom against the Viennese Jews, the Jewish merchant Koppel Fränkel paid 4,000 gulden for the commitment of the city to “preserve the cemetery for all times.” Much of the cemetery and most of the headstones were destroyed during World War II.
But, states the City web site:
In 1978 the City of Vienna purchased the premises in Seegasse and promised to restore the graveyard. The contract of 1670 regarding the “preservation of the cemetery for all times” was still valid and was officially renewed in 1978 by mayor Leopold Gratz, when the City of Vienna committed itself to restoring and maintaining the graveyard.
The identification of the preserved headstones was initiated in 1982, and the cemetery was officially reopened on 4 September 1984.
Surviving stones were re-erected in their original places thanks to a map of the cemetery dating from 1912.
The cemetery is open to the public — entrance is through a retirement home that occupies the spot where Jewish hospital once stood.
Also see article from 2120, with more pictures, on Jewish Heritage Travel