Established in 1868, Katowice's Jewish Cemetery (just west of D-1 on our map) is one of the city's oldest burial grounds and contains almost 1,500 graves. Largely destroyed by the Germans and their henchmen during WWII, today a Holocaust memorial inside remembers those who lost their lives to Nazi genocide. Like many Jewish cemeteries in PL today, Katowice's in a state of utter disrepair. Though purportedly still in use, rumours that the site is undergoing renovation works will appear completely baseless to anyone who visits and sees the crumbling walls and strands of barbed wire surrounding the site, beyond which graves are barely visible beneath the overgrowth of weeds, vines and tall grass. A sad testament to the history and present state of Katowice's Jewish community, gaining access to this necropolis through proper channels is almost impossible without prior arrangement, though an administrator should technically be on hand nearby. As such, it offers little more than an occasion for some depressing thoughts and grim photos if you have a camera with a good zoom lens.