Krnov

Jews in Krnov

The first mention of Jews in Krnov dates back to the beginnings of Krnov’s existence in the mid-13th century. Over the next three centuries, the Jews formed a relatively large community with its own leaders and religious spaces. But starting at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, the Jews’ existence in Silesia came under significant threat, mainly due to the envy of Christian merchants – and in the 1530s, the Jews were expelled from the whole Duchy of Krnov. The ban on Jewish settlement in Silesia remained until the 1800s. Although individuals settled in and near Krnov immediately afterwards, mass Jewish settlement did not return to Krnov until mid-century. First a religious society was founded here, and thanks to growing membership in the 1870s, it became an independent religious community with its own synagogue and cemetery. A number of distinguished Krnov citizens of Jewish origin took part in the community’s leadership until its demise in 1938. Many local Jewish personalities also played a substantial role on the regional political and social stage and thereby enriched the local social environment. But with the arrival of World War II and Nazi hatred, Krnov’s Jewish community came to an end.