The New Jewish Cemetery in Krakow appears to have suffered considerable damage from a violent rain, wind, and hail storm that swept the city on Friday, July 9. Similar storms were forecast for Sunday and early Monday (July 11-12).
The Krakow Jewish community posted pictures on its web site and Facebook page showing massive fallen trees and branches amid broken headstones and said the cemetery would be closed to visitors until further notice. There was no immediate assessment of the exact scope of the damage.
The storm caused serious damage throughout the city, causing flooding and downing trees and power lines.
Local news reports said hundreds of trees were downed or damaged by the high winds, and news sites posted photos and video of hailstones the size of golf balls.
Founded in 1800, the New Jewish Cemetery is a vast expanse that encompasses thousands of tombstones, many of which are beautifully carved, and is still in use by the Jewish community.
1 comment on “Poland: Violent storm damages Krakow’s New Jewish Cemetery, with downed trees and branches damaging headstones”
We visited this cemetery in May of 2015….we arrived early in the morning and we had it all to ourselves. Much of the cemetery was in a state of disrepair (particularly in terms of toppled gravestones), although a sign indicated that the City of Krakow was in the process of restoring it.