The Holy Grave of the Rebbe Reb Shmuel Shmelke ben-Hirsch HaLevi Horowitz in Nikolsburg, Moravia (now called, Mikulov, Czech Republic).  In the photo below is the great (x6) grandson of Reb Shmuel Shmelke, Reb Yisroel Zusha Horowitz at Yartzeit last year in 2005.

Photo with thanks to Samuel Fleischman of Prague.

Rebbe Reb Shmuel Shmelka of Nikolsburg z"tl

Yarzheit 1st Iyar - "2nd Day of Rosh Chodesh Iyar"

Reb Shmuel Shmelke Horowitz of Nikolsburg, known as the Rebbe Reb Shmelke (1726-1778). The firstborn son of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh of Chortkov, Shmuel Shmelke traced his ancestry back to the Baal HaMaor and to Shmuel HaNavi. As a teenager, he and his brother Pinchas - who was to become the Ba’al HaFla’a of Frankfurt – would study bechavrusa; their chidushim were printed by Rav Pinchas in a kunterus called “Sheves Achim.” In their early years, Shmuel Shmelke and Pinchas studied Torah in nonchasidic Lithuanian yeshivos; but after traveling to Mezritch and meeting the Maggid, they became his ardent followers. After becoming a chasid, he became Rov of Ritchval, the site of his famous yeshiva that produced his many famous talmidim. After serving there for 10 years, he became Rov of Shinova. Then, in 1773, he was invited to become Rov of Nikolsburg in Moravia. Although he was there only 5 years, he made a powerful impact, an dhe remains associated with that city to this day. Among his disciples are the Chozeh of Lublin, Reb Menachem Mendel of Rymanov, Reb Yisroel of Koznitz, Reb Mordechai Banet and Reb Moshe Leib of Sassov. His homilies and novellae were published in Divrei Shmuel, and anthologies of his Torah thoughts were published under the titles Imrei Shmuel and Shemen Hatov.