Discovery at one of Vienna’s Jewish cemeteries

Centuries-old gravestones were uncovered in Vienna's 9th district's Jewish cemetery in 2013. Following completion of the excavation and restoration work, the gravesite will be one of Europe's most historically valuable cemeteries.

In July 2013 restoration work at the Jewish cemetery on Seegasse in the ninth district revealed headstones dating back up to 500 years. Their original positions have been determined with the help of a plan made in 1917, making this the only Jewish cemetery in the world which has been preserved in its pre-World War II state.

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Jewish graves at Seegasse — 1724: Burial place of Samson Wertheimer, Chief Rabbi and financier of the Habsburgs – © David Bohmann/PID

Old Jewish gravestones — The Jewish cemetery on Seegasse – © Kromus/PID

1724: Burial place of Samson Wertheimer, Chief Rabbi and financier of the Habsburgs – © David Bohmann/PID

The Jewish cemetery on Seegasse – © Kromus/PID

Gravestone with fish design: basis for a Jewish legend – © David Bohmann/PID

Numerous Jewish cemeteries were desecrated by the Nazis, who used the stones for the war effort or as building materials. In 1943 members of the Jewish community hid headstones from Seegasse under a mound of earth in Vienna’s Central Cemetery. Only in the course of the restoration work was it revealed that gravestones are also located at a depth of about one meter below the cemetery on Seegasse.

The 2,000 m² cemetery in the courtyard of the Rossau Retirement Home has been undergoing renovations since 2011.The Jewish Cemetery in the ninth district dates back to the mid-16th century, and is Vienna’s oldest preserved Jewish cemetery. It remained in use until 1783 and was left unchanged until 1943. After World War II 280 of the original 931 gravestones were re-erected. The cemetery, which is maintained by Vienna's Jewish Community, can currently be viewed from the balcony of the Rossau Retirement Home.