Jewish gravestones found under Austrian castle

Jewish gravestones from the 17th century have been discovered in the foundations of an Austrian castle’s protective wall during repair work.

The discovery of 28 stones and fragments was made earlier this year at Ebenfurth Castle in the state of Lower Austria, according to London-based Jewish Heritage Europe, which recently published a report.

Johannes Reiss, the director of the Austrian Jewish Museum in Eisenstadt, said in a blog post that they dated from 1622 to 1669 and represented a “sensational find”.

The gravestones are due to be restored and displayed at the castle, which was built to protect the local population from the Ottoman invasion in 1683. 

Jews made up 20 to 30 percent of the population of Ebenfurth when they were expelled in 1671.