OLD JEWISH CEMETERY ST. PÖLTEN

2017/2024

In 1938, with the “Aryanisation” of the old Jewish cemetery in St. Pölten – where burials took place from 1859 to 1904 – the ceremonial hall was demolished and the grave stones were removed.
My design for re-marking the area as a cemetery proposed to replace the fence around the surface with glass panes with information on the 583 persons that are buried here, including their name, occupation, marital status, life dates, place of death and the date of the funeral. The glass plates printed with white text define the location both spatially and in terms of content. As fencing, they protect the peace of the dead and at the same time enable a personalized commemoration of the dead, which has not been possible since the robbery of the tombstones.