Safov
The village of Safov is located at 48.52 degree north and 15.44 degree east, a short distance
to the south of the town of Znojmo on the border with Austria
Click here to view a map of Safov.
| Footnote: When I visited Safov in 1992, few traces of the former Jewish community remained to be seen. Only a handful of houses remained standing, as well as one building that I was told had once been the synagogue. Though there was no protective perimeter to prevent entry, the cemetery had not been vandalized and appeared comparatively well cared for. I was told that a group of Dutch students* come periodically to maintain it. I could not discover the connection that these students may have to Safov. |
| John Schaffa |
*Note: a subsequent visitor to Safov has written that the cemetery work was performed not by Dutch students, rather by a group of Austrians from Langau (directly across the unguarded border from Safov). Additionally, he wrote that the Langau priest, Andreas, maintains a house in Safov for use as a school and that the priest has twice cleared the cemetery. Father Andreas has been involved in writing a book (in German) about the town, supplemented with research from the Wiesenthal Center in Vienna. |
