Jewish cemetery Bad Sauerbrunn

The Jewish cemetery in Bad Sauerbrunn lies on the edge of this small spa town in Burgenland. It sits beside the main road, surrounded by low hills and vineyards. The cemetery is a quiet rectangle of earth and stone, set apart from the town’s busy streets. It was founded in 1908 by the Chewra Kadischa burial society in nearby Mattersburg. The society needed a place to bury Jewish guests who came to take the waters at the spa. The town has looked after the cemetery ever since, keeping the grass trimmed and the paths clear. Visitors walk along a single gravel path between rows of upright gravestones. Most stones are simple grey slabs, carved with Hebrew letters and German names. The oldest graves date from the early 20th century, standing shoulder-high in orderly lines. A low stone wall runs around the edge, marking the boundary of the burial ground. The view beyond the wall is of rolling vineyards and distant hills, a peaceful contrast to the rows of names inside.