Jewish Quarter

It was not easy for the Jews in Jihlava, they were forbidden to stay in the town several times. Their synagogue was looted and burned down during the Second World War.

The first mention of Jewish settlement in Jihlava dates back to the middle of the 13th century. The Jewish community was formed in 1345, as a result of Charles IV's decree that the Jews of Jihlava should be admitted to the town. The ghetto was located west of the main square. There was a synagogue and a Jewish school next to it.

During the Hussite wars, Jews expelled from Austria settled in Jihlava. But since they were accused of collaboration with the Hussites, they were expelled and had to leave all their property behind the walls. And even though a few families did get back to Jihlava, they were expelled again. Jews only appeared there in some markets, for which they had to pay.

Jews were allowed to live and work in Jihlava at the end of the 18th century, although they were prevented from doing so by the prohibitions that were still in force. By the end of the 19th century, however, nearly fifteen hundred Jewish inhabitants lived there. After the First World War, there were only a thousand. In 1939, the synagogue was burned and later demolished. The site of the synagogue is now Gustav Mahler Park. Another part of the Jewish community in Jihlava was the historic Jewish houses, which were demolished between the 1960s and 1970s. The Jewish cemetery remains the only surviving monument of this community. A monument commemorates the tragedy of thousands of Jihlava Jews during the Second World War.

‍