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ul. Polna 26A, Żarki
The kirkut on Polna Street is the best-preserved trace of the Jewish community of Żarki, a small town in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, in the Myszków district. Jews had lived here since the 16th century and by the end of the 19th century they made up the majority of the residents — three synagogues and three cemeteries were in use back then. Only this one, the youngest of them, has survived.
The necropolis covers about one and a half hectares and holds more than a thousand inventoried matzevot. Most of them date from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Richly carved obelisks draw the eye, along with rare symbolic motifs cut in stone and inscriptions running in parallel in Hebrew and Polish. Some dates were written in Arabic numerals, which makes the chronology easier to read.
This is the largest Jewish cemetery in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. The grounds are fenced, walking around them usually takes half an hour and calls for respect for the place — men should cover their heads. The kirkut lies on the outskirts of Żarki and combines well with a trip to the Upland castles.
