The majority of us associate the death with darkness and cold of the underworld. The graves, the iron fences, the over time leaning crosses and faded paints scare us. However, old cemeteries often becomes real town’s symbol. There are some places in the world where the cemeteries are so beautiful that does not yield to the tourists facilities. We offer you the story representing the most beautiful cemeteries in the world.
1. Central cemetery in Vienna (Vienna/Austria)
Many world-famous personalities that was acting in art and culture areas and also the people that had high achievements in science and politics during their life are buried here. The cemetery was founded at the turn of 19th century and the church dedicated to St. Charles situated in the middle of the cemetery was built at he turn of 20th century. The cemetery is divided in different burial parts for celebrities, bishops, evangelists, members of Jewish community, Islamists and for Russian Orthodox. There is also a special part for burial the urns with ashes. After the war, in 1945 the restoration works in the territory were carried out, the square was extended, the consequences of that this cemetery became the second-largest one and the most favorite places for tourists.
Nowadays, one of the most visited monuments is the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s headstone although it is just a monument because Mozart is buried in St. Mark’s cemetery.
More than 350 thousands graves are there now and more then 1 thousand are the graves of worldwide celebrities. It calls also «the most musical one»in the world because many famous composers are buried here: Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonio Salieri, Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert.
2. Greyfriars Kirkyard (Edinburgh, Scotland)
The cemetery has the special atmosphere and an old Middle Age Europe spirit. The tourists visiting the cemetery for the first time are stunned by enormous walls of ancient cemetery, its antique and beautiful church however the legends about the cemetery are more exiting. Old and interesting headstones are real artefacts. Its age is more than a couple of centuries that’s why if you see the headstones and read ancient writings you can find out interesting information about past ages. Don’t be surprised if you see the monument made for dog Bobby on the cemetery: the dog was devoted to his owner that he spent 10 years guarding the grave of its owner until he died himself. The animal is buried not far his master’s tomb on this cemetery.
3. Cheerful graveyard (Romanian: Cimitirul Vesel) (Sepintsa, Romania)
The cemetery situated in the village Sepintsa in Northwestern Romani. This cemetery is famous by its colorful headstones and original paintings in naïve feeling style and poetical writings representing people buried in the graveyard as well as theirs life moments. The cemetery became a kind of open-air museum and national tourist center. The idea of creation this unusual cemetery connected with the mane of Stan Ion Patrash, local wood carver. He made first cross, in 1935 he wrote first epitaph. By the 1960s more than 800 oak crosses made by craftsman appeared on the cemetery. Under picturesque often caricatural picture you see the writing representing the causes of death or the relative’s treatment to the departed or the departed human’s words to all who is coming to his grave.
4. Père Lachaise Cemetery (French: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise) (Paris, France)
Père Lachaise from French is translated like «father Lachez». It is unique outdoor museum of sculptures covering an area of 480 000 m2. In 1817 the remains of such famous French people like Jean de La Fontaine and Moliere. In 1824 the graves of Peter Abelard and his beloved Heloise appeared in the Necropolis after that this cemetery became one of the most popular ones, a lot of French people and French guests sought and to be buried here. Among the celebrities buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery are Honore de Balzac, Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust, Maria Callas, Edith Piaf, Gertrude Stein, Frederic Chopin, Nestor Makhno, Jim Morrison, Amedeo Modigliani, Marcel Marceau, Marie Trintignant, Sarah Bernhard, Isadora Duncan and many others. Père Lachaise Cemetery is really international graveyard because Russian Decembrists, American actors, polish composers and even Kurdish film director has fond theirs final resting place here.
5. Monumental Cemetery ( Italian:Cimitero Monumentale) (Milan, Italy)
The headstones here stand out not only its artistic value but also its originality. For example next to the family shrine of famous wine makers Campari the enormous sculpture composition is placed. And over the grave of well known industrialist in Milan that made bread is the monument in a shape of loaf! The cemetery is built in 1866 by Italian architect Carlo Machiakini. Famous composers, musicians, poets, writers, painters are buried here. The aches of great Giuseppe Verdi, musician Vladimir Horowitz, conductor Arturo Toscanini, painter and designer Bruno Munari are resting in Monumental Cemetery.
6. Waverley Cemetery (Sydney, Australia)
If other cemeteries are visited because of the celebrities’ graves, ancient sculptures or architect style but to come here means to see great ocean view. However all outlined above exists here as well. And with a great fortune you can even see whales here, it can’t hardly be expected more from going to the cemetery! Nowadays the cemetery covers an area of 170 000m2. More than 50 thousand graves are on the territory of Necropolis and the total number of graves is 86 thousands. Besides usual tombs there are many mausoleums, crypts, columbariums.
7. Terraced cemetery Pok Fu Lam (Hong Kong, China)
Chinise Christian cemetery situated on the western side Hong Kong island in a shape of amphitheatre. Overpopulated Hong Kong territory, rock island, didn’t allow to extend the cemetery Pok Fu Lam created in 1882 that’s why Hong Kong’s Christians had to build the terraces for graves on the hill-side connecting them with streets and alleys. In time, the graveyard becomes great outdoor amphitheatre. Some graves are made with a lot of finesse.
8. Lychakiv Cemetery (Lviv, Ukraine)
The cemetery was created in 1786, according to the order of Austro-Hungarian king Joseph II, that forbad to bury people in the town. The destiny of the cemetery is unusual because in XIX century it is favorite people’s place for walk and romantic dates and in XX century it was a place for tourist religious pilgrimage. The great quantity of sculptures (about 400 000), headstones, burial vault with the writing in Polish, German, Ukrainian, Russian, Hebrew, Latin, Armenian and some other inhabitants languages of international Lviv attract tourist. Many of the monuments are real artefacts, Lychakivskiy Cemetery is listed by UNESCO cultural heritage.
Many cultural, science and art figures are buried in the territory of Lychakivskiy Cemetery, they are Ivan Franko, Solomiya Krushelnitskaya, Markiyan Shashkevich, Ivan Krepiankevich, Stefan Banakh, Zygmund Gorgolevsky. The St. Nikolay Chernetsky is buried in Lychakivskiy Cemetery, yet in his life time he was considered a miracle worker. Now many people often come to his grave with different problems.
9. Wadi-us-Salaam (An najaf, Iraq)
The biggest Islamist’s graveyard is one of the biggest cemeteries in the world. There are about 5 millions graves on the area of 6 m2. Many Islamic prophets are buried here, Ali ibn Abi Talib, «Forth Imam’s» grave is not far from here, the holy site which is venerated by Muslims worldwide. According to some reports, during the war in Iraq there were between 200 and 250 funerals per day, until 2010 this number fell to 100. There are the funerals every day during 1400 years.
10. Novodevichy Cemetery ( Moskow, Russia )
Novodevichy Cemetery in Moskow is well-known far beyond the capital. In this final resting place for souls are the remains of great science, cultural, art figures, famous politics, it became privileged in the turn of 20s last century when the government decided to bury only famous people with the prominent public position. The eternal rest was fond in this ground by writers V. Mayakovsky, V. Bryusov, A. Chekhov, A. Tvardovsky, B. Akhmadullina, V. Shukshin and many others; there are also buried painters I. Levitan, V. Serov, actors and film editors S. Bondarchuk, E. Evstigneev. The special “Mkhatovskaya alley”. (The part of the cemetery where many famous Russian actors are buried).
We remind you, that TombCare team offer to transfer the ritual area on the block chain. International service allows inventorying of burial grounds and will work with the full functionality of services for the graveside care. More details about the project in the interview with platform founder.