Olšany Cemetery

Olšany Cemetery (Czech: Olšanské hřbitovy, German: Wolschaner Friedhof) is a graveyard in Prague, Czech Republic. With an area of more than 50 ha (120 acres), it is the largest cemetery in the country. Since it was founded in 1680, around two million people have been buried here. There are many architecturally valuable tombstones here, the most significant of which are those in the Art Nouveau style. The most valuable part is the honorary burial grounds of Allied armies and freedom fighters, which is protected as a national cultural monument. Location and organisation The Olšany Cemetery has an area of 50.17 ha (124 acres), making it the largest graveyard in the Czech Republic. It is located in the southern part of the Žižkov district of Prague. The cemetery is divided into two main parts by Želivského Street, and these two parts are internally divided into several parts as the cemetery grew. Therefore, the cemetery is often referred to in the plural and its official Czech name is also in the plural. The western part is called Olšanské hřbitovy I. ('Olšany Cemeteries I') and is the main part of the cemetery, containing the fabrica ecclesiae cemeteries numbered II–IX and the Municipal Cemetery I. The eastern part is called Olšanské hřbitovy II. ('Olšany Cemeteries II') and contains the New Jewish Cemetery (the largest Jewish cemetery in the Czech Republic; forms a separate part of the Olšany Cemetery), the cemetery numbered X and the Municipal Cemetery II, which includes honorary burial grounds, an Orthodox section and a small Muslim section. Both main parts are surrounded by a wall, and only Cemetery I (the oldest part of the cemetery) is located outside the fenced cemetery in the northwestern part of the Olšany Cemetery. The Olšany Cemetery contains approximately 25,000 tombs, 200 chapel tombs, 65,000 grave sites, 20,000 urn graves, six columbariums and two scattering meadows. It is estimated that two million people were buried here during the cemetery's existence. History The Olšany Cemetery were created in 1680 to accommodate Great Plague victims who died en masse in Prague and needed to be buried quickly. At that time, the cemetery was located outside the city. In 1787, when the plague again struck the city, Emperor Joseph II banned the burial of bodies within Prague city limits and Olšany Cemetery were declared the central graveyard for hygiene purposes. The cemetery was expanded in several stages and new burial fields were established, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries. The original location from 1680 (Cemetery I) ceased to be used in 1860. The Municipal Cemetery I was established in 1900 and the Municipal Cemetery II was established in 1917. Since 1958, the entire cemetery is protected as a cultural monument. Since 1978, the honorary burial grounds of Allied armies and freedom fighters are protected as a national cultural monument. Honorary burial grounds Among the thousands of military personnel buried at Olšany Cemetery, there are Russian soldiers and officers from the Napoleonic Wars, members of the Czechoslovak Legion, Czechoslovak soldiers, officers and pilots who fought at the Eastern and Western Front and in North Africa during World War II as well as male and female members of the Soviet and Commonwealth (including British, Canadian, South African, Greek and Turkish Cypriot and Polish) armed forces who died for the freedom of Czechoslovakia in 1944–1945, including POWs. Based on a bilateral agreement, Czech authorities are responsible for the protection of Russian and Soviet military graves at the Czech territory (as Russia is responsible for protecting Czechoslovak war graves from both World Wars in Russia). The Commonwealth Prague War Cemetery, including 256 graves, was established under the terms of the 1949 War Graves Agreement between the United Kingdom and Czechoslovakia and is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Buildings and monuments There are two ceremonial halls. The first one, called Old Ceremonial Hall, was built in 1894 on the Cemetery VI part of the Olšany Cemetery. The second one, New Ceremonial Hall on the Municipal Cemetery I, is a neo-Renaissance building from 1921. Next to the Orthodox section of the cemetery is the Church of the Dormition. It was built in 1924–1925. The painting decoration od the church interor was designed by Ivan Bilibin. There are many tombstones that are architecturally valuable, and tombs with valuable sculptural decoration. They were decorated by leading Czech artists and represent the development of Czech figurative sculpture from the end of the 18th century to the present day. Among the most significant are those in the Art Nouveau style. The Olšany Cemeteries Educational Trail leads through the cemetery. It is mapping the history of three of the oldest sections, also sketching the life stories of some celebrities buried here. Notable interments Notable people buried at Olšany Cemetery (excluding New Jewish Cemetery) include: Politics and military Science and academia Sports Arts Language arts Performing arts Visual arts Other In popular culture Some scenes from the 2002 movie Bad Company and the 2008 TV series Kriminálka Anděl were filmed at Olšany Cemetery. References External links Geoportal of Prague's cemeteries