Jewish Cemetery

Lonely Planet review

The Jewish Cemetery, founded in 1806, suffered little during the war and still boasts more than 150,000 tombstones, the largest collection of its kind in Europe. Large parts are, however, neglected and very overgrown, making it a forlorn place. A notice near the entrance lists the graves of many eminent Polish Jews, including Ludwik Zamenhof, creator of the international artificial language Esperanto.

Look also for the tomb of Ber Sonnenberg (1764-1822), one of Europe's finest funerary monuments; take the first paved path on the left beyond the ticket office and when you arrive at a junction on your right, look left: it's the roofed structure over by the wall.The marble relief on one side shows a walled city by a river and a Jewish cemetery; on the other side is the Tower of Babel and a forest hung with musical instruments, as well as a ship sinking in the river.