This page details the significant discovery of centuries-old gravestones at Vienna's Jewish cemetery on Seegasse in 2013. Following excavation and restoration, the site is recognized as one of Europe's most historically valuable Jewish cemeteries.
In July 2013, restoration work at the Jewish cemetery on Seegasse in Vienna's ninth district unearthed headstones dating back up to 500 years. These graves have been meticulously restored and their original positions identified using a 1917 plan, making this cemetery unique as the only one in the world preserved in its pre-World War II state. Many Jewish cemeteries were desecrated by the Nazis, with stones used for war efforts or building materials; some from Seegasse were hidden in Vienna's Central Cemetery in 1943. However, the restoration revealed that gravestones were also buried about a meter deep within the Seegasse cemetery itself.
The 2,000 m² cemetery, located in the courtyard of the Rossau Retirement Home, has undergone renovations since 2011. Dating back to the mid-16th century, it is Vienna’s oldest preserved Jewish cemetery, in use until 1783. After World War II, 280 of the original 931 gravestones were re-erected. The cemetery, maintained by Vienna's Jewish Community, can currently be viewed from the balcony of the Rossau Retirement Home.