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The first written mention of the Jewish population in Żory was recorded in land registers in 1511. In 1727, a Jewish community with a prayer house in Żory is already mentioned. Because the Jewish dead had previously been buried at the cemetery in Mikołów, the growing community decided to establish its own cemetery in the city. It was created in 1814 near the road to Woszczyc. It was established on wasteland purchased by the distiller Aron Wolf Bloch. The cemetery was surrounded by a sandstone wall, and in 1834 a funeral home was built at the entrance; in the summer of 1886 it was replaced by a new, more impressive one, built according to the plans of the master mason G. Gregeratzke from Żory. In total, by 1936, approximately 800 people had been buried in the Żory cemetery. The cemetery was the property of the Żory Jewish community until the time of World War II. At the beginning of Nazi occupation, it was seized by the Gestapo. The Jewish population of Żory was deported by the Germans to the Bedzin ghetto in May 1940. Some tombstones, especially those made of the most valuable materials, were taken away. The necropolis was gradually vandalized. In 1945, during the fighting in late February and March, the funeral home was destroyed. During the communist period, further vandalism of the cemetery occurred, and part of its area served as a sports field. In 1985, the first inventory of surviving tombstones was carried out, and shortly thereafter restoration work was begun. In 2004, the Żory City Council established the Park of Culture -- Jewish Cemetery. The cemetery was restored to a dignified condition, the greenery was arranged, the deteriorating fence was repaired, and it was given a cultural and educational function by placing informational plaques along the fence.
