Zemplinsky Branc, Slovakia
Zemplinsky Branc, is located in Slovakia (48.33 longitude, 21.44 latitude). It is located 8 km south of Treisov, Slovakia and 37km south east of Kosice, Slovakia. Former Hungarian name of the town was Barancs.
The cemetery is located at the end of the town behind a Christian cemetery. When entering from the south it is on the right hand side. Town population is about 600, with no known Jews in town.
The Jewish population as of the last census before World War II was 15 Jews. The Jewish cemetery was established in the 1800's, last known burial is unknown.
The Jewish community which used this cemetery was, Sephardic Orthodox, the nearby villages also used this cemetery.
The cemetery location is a rural area on part of a municipal cemetery, and has no Jewish sign or marker. It is reached by turning directly off a public road and is open to all. It has a stone wall behind it no wall and a gate which is locked at times. The Jewish tombstones are in a very densely wooded area, the vegetation is grossly overgrown.
A caretaker for the Christian part of the cemetery took us to where the tombstones were.
They would be difficult if not impossible to find on your own.
The size of cemetery before WWII and now is 1 hectares. There are 20-50 gravestones, less than 25% are toppled or broken.
There are gravestone dated from the 20th century. The tombstones markers are made of marble, granite, are flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, flat stones with carved relief decoration, sculpted monuments.
Inscriptions are in Hebrew, The cemetery contains no special memorial monuments to Holocaust victims and Jewish soldiers, but no mass graves. There is a pre-burial house that belongs to the Christian cemetery next door.
The owner of the cemetery property is the local community and it is used for Christian burials. Properties adjacent to the cemetery are cemeteries rural homeowner lands. The cemetery boundaries remain the same since 1940's
The cemetery was not vandalized in the last ten years. There has been no cleaning of stones or clearing of vegetation. Vegetation is a serious threat.
This survey was completed by Lee Goodman. The questionnaire was completed on 7/21/97. The following documentation(s) was used in complete this survey: Magyarorszag Geographial Szotara; Where once we Walked and personal photographs.
The site was visited for this survey on 7/21/97. Person(s) visiting cemetery were Cindy and Lee Goodman goodman@twcny.rr.com