Old Jewish Cemetery Judensand (Mainz)

Nice view of the large area of the old Jewish cemetery in Mainz

Jewish burial sites are the most important and significant testimonies to the history of Jews in Germany. In Mainz, the Old Jewish Cemetery "Judensand" with almost 1,700 historical gravestones is an important component of the serial world cultural heritage - together with the preserved sites in Speyer and Worms.Many gravestones date from the 11th century and thus the "Judensand" in Mainz is considered, alongside the "Heiliger Sand" in Worms, the oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe.The cemetery area was originally outside the medieval city and stretched along the former Roman arterial road, today's Mombacher Straße. It was the burial place for Jews from Mainz and the surrounding area.After the Jewish community was dissolved in the 15th century, it slowly reconstituted itself in the 17th century. On the remaining lower part of the "Judensand" there are now gravestones from the period around 1700 to 1880, when the cemetery was finally closed. Only this lower part of the "Judensand" is accessible to visitors.
Source and further information: mainz.de/kultur-und-wissenschaft/stadtgeschichte/magenza/mainzer-judensand.php