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I’ve recently discovered that exploring cemeteries are really interesting. For the longest time, I thought visiting them was a little creepy, especially when traveling, but times have changed. When I was in Vienna, I made the trek out of the city to visit the Zentralfriedhof, aka the Central Cemetery, mainly because I wanted to see the memorial to Mozart and other composers, but also because cemeteries in Europe are fascinating to walk through. Dating back hundreds of years, every tombstone tells a story. I see them as elaborate works of art with plenty to say about the person buried there as well as the individual who created the tombstone.
Photo: Matt B.
The Central Cemetery is the final resting place of a number of notable figures, including people with accomplishments in literature, music, politics, medicine, among other fields. It was used as a cemetery from 1874 and is Vienna’s largest cemetery by far at 2.4 square kilometers. There are 330,000 graves and 3.3 million people have been buried here. It is the second largest cemetery in Europe by area after Hamburg’s Ohlsdorf Cemetery, and the largest cemetery by the number of interred in Europe. Zentralfriedhof has a dead population of almost twice the present living residents of Vienna. Today between 20 – 25 burials take place every day.
Doesn’t this seem like a scene from The Secret Garden? Photo: a_kep
The Central Cemetery was no different than other European cemeteries with a diverse number of tombstones, memorials and sculptures. Some are laid to rest in big mausoleum-like structures and others are marked with more modest tombstones. Some areas are completely overgrown with trees and plants, others are neatly groomed with pathways and walkways. In many ways, it didn’t even seem like you were in a cemetery – you were just out for a day in the park and there happen to be many sculptures that stand for tombstones around.
Who wouldn’t want to be buried in something like this?
The winter day was gloomy, and slightly cloudy making for perfect atmosphere for exploring a cemetery. Not a single soul was to be seen for as far as I could see, except for the lone gate keeper who came out to greet us.
Look how big this place is!
St. Marx was very big to wander through. It even has its own bus service to take you around! The cemetery is marked off into different areas and there is a map at the entrance for your reference. At the very center of the cemetery stands an imposing church – the Karl-Borromäus-Kirche, named for the former mayor of Vienna who rests below the high alter of the building. The presidential crypt and honorary graves are directly in front of the church.
Image: Zruda
At the time of its opening, the cemetery caused quite a stir. The intention was to have individuals from different faiths be interred in the same burial grounds, which was a big no-no at the time. They were able to compromise and now there are many different areas to the Central Cemetery: a Catholic area, a Protestant area and two Jewish areas. Those from the various Orthodox churches also have their respective areas as do Muslims. Since 2005, there is also a Buddhist cemetery within the Central Cemetery.
Ehrengran
The most interesting section, to me at least, being the music nerd that I am, was the area called ehrengrab which is German for “graves of honour.” Here, individuals who have made extraordinary service or achievements in their lifetime are honoured. When the cemetery was first built, it was quite far away from the rest of the city, and they needed some sort of attraction to get people to visit. Their answer? Play to Vienna’s strengths and bury well known people, like composers, on its grounds.
The graves of Beethoven and Brahms
Famous citizens such as Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert were exhumed and transferred to the cemetery in 1888, others, like Johannes Brahms (in 1897) and Johnan Strauss II (of The Blue Danube fame – 1899), were buried there outright. And so today, hundreds of graves of honour are found. Individuals who are renown in the areas of music, poetry, science, architecture, painting, invention, acting, politics or sport are buried here.
Schubert and Strauss
It’s kind of strange when you think about it – the Viennese government used the deaths of its famous citizens to bolster the attractiveness of a burial ground. Clearly it has worked because many people (me included!) make the trek out to visit the graves found here.
There is so much to see and explore on the grounds. I could easily spend a couple hours wandering around, looking at all the graves and wondering about the lives of those who lived before me. It is a quiet escape from the busy city. I only saw a handful of people during my time there and they were mostly in the ehrengrab area. It did feel strange to be taking photographs, so I’ve supplemented my own with a few I found on Flickr.
Do you like visiting cemeteries when you travel? Which ones have you visited? Will you be visiting any on your travels or do you find it a little creepy?
Good to Know
Getting there: Google transit instructions will tell you to take the S-Bahn and then walk to the entrance. It’s a long way to go, especially as the main entrance is on the other side (there are other gates on the backside, but I’m not sure about them as I didn’t enter that way). Instead you can take the U3 to Simmering and then tram 71 from there. You’ll want to get off at Gate 2 the main entrance. We accidentally stayed on an extra stop and ended up entering through Gate 3 which is the Protestant cemetery area.
There is an audio guide available from the gate attendant at Gate 2. It is €7 and you will need a valid photo ID. The tours vary from 2 – 4 hours in length.
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I haven’t visited the cemetary in Vienna. My favourites so far are Père Lachaise in Paris, the little cemetary in Auvers-sur-Oise where Van Gogh is buried and the Jewish cemetary in Prague.
I really like the cemetery in Paris as well. That was the first one I visited and opened up the whole world of cemetery visits. I’ve walked by the one in Prague but never in it. That one really gives me the creeps. I’ll have to check out the one where van Gogh is buried. I love his work!
I really like wandering around cemetaries, too. And I take a lot of photos of them, which I never use because I figure it’s kind of morbid…oh well. I like them.
100% agree with feeling weird taking photos! After looking online it seems a lot of people don’t have that aversion. They’re very beautiful to photograph (if its not too strange to say that haha!)
what an interesting place to highlight. personally i’m not the biggest fan of cemeteries but you do such a nice job explaining why they are an interesting and thought provoking place to visit. 🙂
Thanks Margo 🙂 I use to think they’re not that interesting to visit, but there are a few that are worth the exception – the larger ones with lots of history.
I like to visit cemeteries, even the small ones in unknown villages. It makes me wonder about the lives of the people who rest there: how did they live, were they happy, what happened to them, do they still have family… I don’t find it morbid at all, I see it more as paying some respect to people, even if I didn’t knew them.
Would love to see the ‘graves of honour’ though, they look interesting.
What a beautiful way of thinking of it. I definitely agree, cemeteries have such scope for imagination.
I love the Schubert grave stone/sculpture. There is something so beautiful about the old cemeteries of Europe. They are filled with art that many people don’t think to stop and look at.
Yes definitely! Every grave says something about the individual who made the tombstone and they really are beautiful.
Beautiful photos…
Wow! I love here, and I have yet to see this. I didn’t even realize this was where Beethoven was buried. Great post!
Thanks Tamika! There are so many interesting people buried here.
Oh wow….so many composers are buried in this cemetery! I would love to visit to pay my respects. What a fascinating place!
It is so interesting. So much history and it really is beautiful to wander around.
Wonderful information and beautiful pictures. This looks like an amazing place. I, too, love cemeteries-Pere Lachaise and Arlington are a couple of my favorites. The small , forgotten ones are among the most serene. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Lori! Pere Lachaise was the first cemetery that I had fully explored and set me on this path of checking out cemeteries.
The statue in the first photo is so beautiful. Love the last one too. Very atmospheric. 🙂
Thanks Jan. I wish I could take credit for that first photo, but someone else took that lovely photo. It definitely just set the right tone for an exploration of a cemetery doesn’t it?
Yes it does. It is such a beautiful statue.
Thank you for this interesting visit Adelina!
I will not miss to visit this one when traveling through Europe, I live part time in France now and will be traveling extensively through these beautiful countries.
I personally enjoy visiting churches and cemeteries, lovely religious art is found there across the world. I do not find it to be creepy at all, and feel as Nina above, much respect towards these final resting places.
Some cemeteries are stunning in beauty and symbolism, as the Old San Juan seaside cemetery in Puerto Rico, which I recently visited and posted a photo visit to my travel blog. You may enjoy the visit here.
Happy travels 🙂
Seems to be the week for grave yards. I love the statues. They really do add a great atmosphere. Thanks for linking up to Travel Photo Thursday
Definitely! Graveyards are such beautiful places to explore. So many interesting things to look at.
Glad to see someone else is into visiting European cemeteries. I’ve seen this cemetery several times but your pictures still gave me chills! Great post.
Thanks Holly! Cemeteries are so interesting to explore – so much artistry in everything that is built.