Břeclav city councillors approved the renovation of the ceremonial hall at the Jewish cemetery

Břeclav - The Břeclav councillors approved the renovation of the ceremonial hall at the Jewish cemetery in Břeclav during today’s extraordinary meeting. All 26 present councillors voted in favor. The work is expected to cost 23 million crowns, but the city managed to secure a grant of 11 million from the cross-border cooperation program thanks to collaboration with the Slovak city of Sládkovičovo. A condition is that the construction must be completed by the end of this year.

"Last year, we managed to establish cross-border cooperation with the city of Sládkovičovo, which shares a history with the Kuffner family. As a result of this cooperation, we have now secured funding for the project 'In Eternal Memory,'" stated the city administration earlier.

The renovation will also include the chapel and the space in front of the cemetery. Sládkovičovo will repair the areas of the castle park.

"According to the grant conditions of the Interreg cross-border cooperation program, the construction must be completed by the end of 2023. The deadline is tight, but we believe we can make it. Last year, we installed panels with historical themes at the Jewish cemetery, a year earlier we secured the chapel, and guided tours or concerts for the public are held at the site," stated the city administration.

The Kuffner family was a business family of Austro-Hungarian and later Austrian, Slovak, and Czech Jewish faith. The Kuffners operated primarily in Břeclav, where they originated, in the territory of today's Czech Republic. The most notable member was Hermann Kuffner, the first Jewish mayor of Břeclav, who was elevated to nobility in 1900. The second branch of the Kuffner family, represented by Karl Kuffner, was based in today’s Slovakian Sládkovičovo, where there is a historic sugar factory, a family tomb, and a church.