Cmentarz żydowski w Szydłowcu, Szydłowiec

Jewish cemetery in Szydłowiec - a historic necropolis established in the 18th century, located in the northeastern part of Szydłowiec, formerly inhabited by Szydłowiec Jews, at East Street. Until the establishment of Jewish community in Bodzentyn it served also local Jews. The cemetery has the area of 2,7 ha.

About 2000 tombstones have been preserved. The oldest preserved tombstones date back to 1830. According to common custom, the dominant form of a Jewish tombstone is a matzeva. The appearance, size and difficulty of a matzeva reflected the wealth and social position of the deceased. Style of gravestones is generally identified with traditional Jewish art, although there are some double gravestones in the form of sarcophagus or cut tree trunk. The appearance of Szydlowiec gravestones varies greatly; no two objects have identical compositions. Matzevot are decorated with reliefs with Hebrew symbolism mostly from 19th century. In 1957 local authorities closed the cemetery. Two years later the western part of the necropolis was liquidated. In this place, a high school building, a department store and a furniture store were erected. The bodies were not exhumed.

After the war the cemetery was surrounded by a fence with a gate. In 1971 on the cemetery there was placed a plaque commemorating 16 000 murdered Jews from Szydlowiec.