The old Jewish cemetery in Olkusz was established around 1584 and was used continuously until the beginning of the 20th century. The oldest known matzevah dates back to 1609. The cemetery occupied a large area and due to its time of use, it should be assumed that several thousand people were buried there. Unfortunately, during the Second World War, the Germans caused enormous damage to its structure. A lot of matzevot have been used as building material, e.g. for the construction of a fire protection reservoir and a water supply channel in Pomorzany (Olkusz district). The culmination of the devastation was the construction of an anti-tank ditch through the cemetery.
Unfortunately, the post-war period was also not happy for the cemetery. Many interesting and valuable matzevot have been lost due to neglect.