Kaunas municipality begins refurbishment work on Jewish cemetary

The Municipality of Kaunas, Lithuania's second-largest city, has confirmed it is refurbishing the city’s old Jewish cemetery in Zaliakalnis.

The identification and inventory of the graves is set to be the first phase of the project. 

A task force has been set up to coordinate the project. The task force includes municipality specialists. 

Planned consultations with representatives from Lithuania’s Litvak communities, the Jewish Community of Kaunas, the Department of Cultural Heritage, and the Maceva public establishment are also on the agenda.

Established in 1861, the old Jewish cemetery was closed in 1952. It has been included into the Register of Cultural Values and is protected by the state. 

According to information provided by the Department of Cultural Heritage, a large number of prominent public, cultural, political and religious figures were buried at the site.