Jewish Cemetery St. Pölten neu

The “new” Jewish cemetery in St. Pölten was founded in 1906 as a burial site for the local Jewish community. Like many of the Jewish cemeteries in the region, this cemetery also reflects the rich history and culture of the local Jewish community. Around 340 people are buried there; 188 gravestones have been preserved. During the Nazi era, the cemetery was severely damaged and many of the graves and headstones were destroyed. In 1951, the City of St. Pölten had the surviving gravestones reinstated, and in 1954 the formerly “aryanised” cemetery was restituted to the Jewish Community Vienna, the legal successor of the Jewish Community St. Pölten. One of the cemetery’s most distinct features is its striking ceremonial hall, which was renovated in the year 2000 using public funds and private donations. Another noteworthy feature is the mass grave on the site containing the remains of at least 228 Hungarian-Jewish forced labourers who were shot by the SS in Hofamt Priel near Persenbeug during the night of 2 to 3 May 1945. In 2015, a gravestone inscribed with the names of the victims of that massacre was installed at the cemetery with the backing of the National Fund. The key can be obtained from the cemetery administration at the main entrance.