History and Founding of the Jewish Cemetery

Łódź opened this Jewish cemetery in 1892, after a cholera outbreak created urgent demand for burial space. Textile industrialist Izrael Poznański donated the land in the Bałuty district, north of the historic center. His family later built a grand mansion nearby, now open to visitors as the Izrael Poznański Palace. The cemetery grew alongside Łódź's textile boom, which drew Jewish, German, and Polish workers to the city.

By the early twentieth century, Łódź was home to one of Europe's largest Jewish communities. The cemetery expanded to roughly 40 hectares, making it one of the continent's largest Jewish burial grounds. Historians estimate between 180,000 and 230,000 people are buried across the grounds today, with about 160,000 headstones still standing.

Unlike many Jewish cemeteries elsewhere in occupied Poland, German authorities did not raze or repurpose this one during the war. It stayed in continuous use as a burial ground straight through the Łódź Ghetto period from 1940 to 1944, which is why the Ghetto Field lies inside the same walls as the nineteenth-century family plots.

Poland designated the cemetery a Historic Monument in 2015, recognizing its scale and historical importance. That status treats the site as living history rather than a closed relic. Łódź's present-day Jewish community still uses part of the grounds for burials today.

The Poznański Mausoleum and Cemetery Grounds

Near the main entrance stands the Izrael Poznański family mausoleum, a mosaic-covered domed structure. Many historians and guides describe it as the largest Jewish tombstone anywhere in the world. Its colorful tilework and scale set it apart from the simpler rows of graves nearby.

Beyond the mausoleum, thousands of headstones span more than a century of Łódź's Jewish history. Some graves carry elaborate Art Nouveau carvings, while others are plain stone markers. Hebrew and Polish inscriptions appear side by side across many sections of the grounds.

Walking the full grounds can take well over an hour, given the cemetery's size. Most visitors focus on the entrance area, where the mausoleum and older graves sit close together. A map from the ticket office helps visitors locate specific family plots or notable graves.

The Ghetto Field: A Site of Memory

The cemetery's southern section holds the Ghetto Field, known in Polish as Pole Gettowe. This area contains the mass and unmarked graves of victims from the Łódź Ghetto. German occupying forces renamed the ghetto Litzmannstadt and confined roughly 200,000 Jewish residents there from 1940 to 1944. More than 43,000 ghetto victims are buried in this section, many without individual markers. Many of the dead had passed through Radegast Station, the rail siding on the ghetto's edge that German forces used as the Umschlagplatz for deportations to the Chełmno death camp and, from 1944, Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Starvation, disease, and mass deportation caused most of these deaths during the ghetto years. Many victims received no formal burial and were laid to rest in mass graves instead. The Ghetto Field today stands as a quiet memorial area within the larger cemetery.

Visitors often spend more time here than in other parts of the cemetery. The section calls for quiet, respectful conduct rather than casual photography. For deeper historical background, the Mjhnyc.org blog covers the ghetto's history in more detail.

Visiting Hours, Tickets, and Getting There

The cemetery keeps seasonal hours, so checking ahead saves a wasted trip. It opens Sunday through Thursday, with shorter Friday hours and no entry on Saturday. Saturday closures follow Shabbat, and the site also closes for Jewish holidays. Confirm the current schedule on Lodz.travel before you go.

Many visitors combine the cemetery with a walk down Piotrkowska Street, Łódź's main pedestrian avenue. The walk between the two takes about half an hour at a relaxed pace. Plan at least ninety minutes for the cemetery itself, longer if you join a guided tour. Mornings shortly after opening tend to be quieter and cooler, which matters in summer. Travelers building a fuller heritage itinerary often extend the day to include Radegast Station and nearby Survivors' Park.

• Opening Hours by Season
  • The cemetery opens 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday through Thursday, from April to November.
  • From November through March, the same days run shorter, from 9 am to 3 pm.
  • Friday hours end early to allow time before the Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown.
  • Gates stay closed on Saturdays and on Jewish holidays throughout the calendar year.
• Entrance Fee and Free Access
  • A standard ticket costs about 20 PLN at the office on ulica Zmienna.
  • Reduced tickets run roughly 10 to 15 PLN for students and other eligible visitors.
  • Visitors coming to tend a family grave can enter free with proof of relation.
  • Ticket prices can change, so confirm current rates before your visit.
• Getting to Bracka Street
  • The postal address is ulica Bracka 40, though the visitor entrance sits on ulica Zmienna.
  • Tram lines connect the Bałuty district with central Łódź and the main train station.
  • Walking from the city center to the cemetery takes roughly twenty to thirty minutes.
  • Taxis and rideshare apps offer a faster option for visitors short on time.

Visitor Etiquette and What to Know Before You Go

Jewish cemetery customs differ from typical tourist etiquette, so a little preparation helps. The site remains an active, consecrated burial ground rather than a museum exhibit. A few simple customs make a visit smoother and more respectful for everyone.

These customs come from respect for the dead, not rigid rules aimed at tourists. Cemetery staff can answer questions about specific sections or family research requests.

• Head Covering and Dress
  • Men are asked to cover their heads before entering the cemetery grounds.
  • Cardboard kippahs are usually available near the entrance for visitors who need one.
  • Modest, comfortable clothing suits the site's quiet, memorial character.
  • Sturdy, closed shoes help on gravel paths and uneven ground near the edges.
• Leaving a Stone, Not Flowers
  • Jewish tradition favors placing a small stone on a grave rather than flowers.
  • The custom marks a visit and reflects the permanence of memory over time.
  • Visitors can pick up a small stone from the ground rather than bringing one.
  • This custom applies especially at the Poznański mausoleum and the Ghetto Field.
• Photography and Quiet Conduct
  • Photography is generally allowed, though visitors should stay quiet near the Ghetto Field.
  • This remains an active burial ground, and mourners may be present during a visit.
  • Avoid loud conversation or posed photography near the mass grave sections.
  • A guided tour can add context that a solo, silent walk might miss.

Finding a Specific Grave: Records and Accessibility Notes

With an estimated 180,000 to 230,000 burials spread across roughly 40 hectares, locating a specific ancestor's grave here takes preparation rather than luck. The cemetery maintains a free, searchable burial database at jewishlodzcemetery.org, where visitors can look up a surname before their trip and, in many cases, find a section and row number. Bringing that reference to the ticket office on ulica Zmienna lets staff point visitors toward the right area, since the grounds themselves are not signposted for individual plots.

Terrain also varies more than at most cemeteries. Paths near the entrance and the Poznański mausoleum are gravel but relatively level and well used. Sections farther from the entrance, including parts near the Ghetto Field, can be uneven, overgrown, or muddy after rain, which limits access for wheelchairs and visitors with mobility restrictions. Calling the cemetery office ahead of a visit helps confirm which routes are passable that day and whether staff can assist with a specific request.

Nearby Places to Continue Your Visit in Łódź

The cemetery sits within easy reach of several other Łódź landmarks tied to the same era. For a fuller picture of the ghetto period, Radegast Station preserves the rail platform used to deport ghetto residents to the death camps, now a memorial and small museum in the Bałuty district. Survivors' Park, a short walk from there, commemorates people who lived through the ghetto and later settled around the world. Both sites pair naturally with a cemetery visit for travelers focused on this chapter of Łódź's history.

Manufaktura, a former Poznański textile factory turned cultural complex, sits about twenty minutes away by tram. The complex now houses shops, restaurants, and a museum inside the old factory buildings.

History-minded travelers can also visit the Central Museum of Textiles, set inside a nineteenth-century mill. The museum traces the textile industry that shaped Łódź and its Jewish business community. Together, these sites round out a fuller picture of the city's Jewish and industrial history.

Most visitors pair the cemetery with a half-day look at Jewish heritage sites in Łódź. Public transport links the Bałuty district with the rest of the city fairly well. For more ideas on planning your stay, see our guide to Łódź attractions.