One of the most visited attractionsPrague - Olshanskoe cemetery. It is located in the third administrative district of the city. Often, before choosing a tour to the capital of the Czech Republic, tourists clarify whether visiting this place is in the program of excursions. And this is not surprising: there are many mysterious and mysterious corners where dark art intertwines with the whisper of thousands of lives lived.
The terrible plague: the history of the cemetery
The history of this place originates inMiddle Ages. Then on this place the village of Olshany was located, then the farm, which belonged to the monastery, was opened. Later, the authorities decided to take the territory of a large garden under a quarantine cemetery. This decision was dictated by life itself: after all, in 1680, a terrible epidemic of plague struck the city. To bury the dead from it in the cemeteries located near the churches, it was simply dangerous.
A new wave of epidemic swept over Prague in 1715.Raging infection claimed all new lives. The dead found the last shelter on this territory. Later, in 1796, Emperor Joseph II announced that the Olshanskoe cemetery must be permanent. The inhabitants of two parts of Prague, the Old and New Towns, were buried here. For 200 years this place has been a haven for both ordinary people and prominent personalities. Jan Palach, Sophia Tolstaya, Vasily Levitsky, Arkady Averchenko and many others found peace here.
Main point of tourist routes
Today it is safe to call this cemeterythe most visited attraction of Prague. The graves of people who wrote history, picturesque nooks, Gothic tombstones and the ghost of a Sad girl - the necropolis have something to surprise.
Ольшанское кладбище удивляет и своими размерами.Its area is more than 50 hectares! According to official sources, 112 thousand people are buried here: 65 thousand ordinary graves, 25 thousand tombs, six columbariums (sites with burial urns) with twenty thousand cremated, two hundred chapel-graves. However, according to unofficial data, the number of those buried is about two million. That is, there are more people in the necropolis than living in Prague itself today.
System
Система, позволяющая ориентироваться на этой vast territory, appeared in 1835. New sites that have appeared in the cemetery, began to denote by Roman numerals. Now the necropolis unites 12 cemeteries, you can enter it from three sides. In addition, the complex of this cemetery includes just two ritual halls for parting. Both were built at the end of the XIX century.
Neighborhood of death and art
Necropolis is not only famous for its impressivearea, but also monuments, sculptures, tombs and gravestones. A significant part of them dates from the XVIII-XIX centuries, and therefore is considered the cultural heritage of the country.
Tourists eyeing gravestone,depicting a tree struck by lightning. The work of the talented Czech modernist Frantisek Rous is located near the main entrance. Here you can also find sculptures of such masters as Ignaz Platzer, Vaclav Prachner, Frantisek Bilek. Works in different styles: from classicism to baroque.
Famous people buried in Olshansky cemetery
Список знаменитых людей, покоящихся в земле Prague cemetery, long. For example, Vasily Nemirovich-Danchenko found peace here. The elder brother of the famous theatrical figure was a writer, journalist and traveler. He began to print in the late 1860s: his artistic and ethnographic essays were in “Domestic Notes”, “Bulletin of Europe” and other publications. In total, over 60 volumes of his works were published during his creative career. Vasily Nemirovich-Danchenko could not accept the revolution and emigrated. The writer died in Prague in September 1936.
In a politically difficult time for Russia countryleft the writer Arkady Averchenko, opera singer Vasily Levitsky, Countess Sofia Tolstaya and other figures of politics, science and culture. They are also buried in the Olshansky cemetery. Sheltered necropolis and famous Czechs. Here are the graves of the poet Josef Jungman, the politician Karel Kramarzha, the writer Vaclav Klitser. In addition, Jan Palach is buried here - a student who self-immolated. It happened in 1969. So the young man protested against the Soviet occupation.
Laid on the cemetery and the military.In one land lie the bodies of the representatives of the four armies of Russia at once — the Red, White, Imperial and Liberation. In addition, here are the graves of those who died during the battles with Napoleon and fell during the fighting of world wars.
The first president of Carpathian Ukraine AvgustinVoloshin also rests on this Prague cemetery. He began active political activities in 1919. He founded the Right People’s Christian Party, which he led from 1923 to 1939. By the way, it is known that Voloshin was in contact with the government of Nazi Germany. He offered himself to be the president of Ukraine, which at that time was occupied by the Germans. Augustine Voloshin died in Moscow, in Butyrka prison.
Tomb of Kafka
The necropolis consists of three main parts.One sector is set aside for the burial of the Czechs, the second for the Orthodox citizens, and on the third are the graves of Jews. By the way, Franz Kafka was buried here. His grave is located on site 21. To find it, you just need to walk along the wall.
It is worth noting that although Kafka wrote onGerman, he was the true son of Prague. He lived in the Czech capital, visited her often and was also often persecuted. Franz Kafka spent a significant part of his life not far from the Old Town Square: here he grew up, received education, worked, met with friends.
Orthodox rite of burial
People of culture and politics who emigrated to Prague after the revolution were buried in separate areas, observing all Orthodox rites. For this, an Orthodox church was built here!
The appearance of the Orthodox site in the cemeterycontributed by Archpriest Nikolai Ryzhikov. He was the rector of the Church of St. Nicholas, located on Old Town Square. Later, Nikolai Ryzhikov began to raise funds for the construction of the chapel. However, this idea had to be abandoned. They started talking about it again in 1923, when the cemetery in Prague ceased to contain a large number of burials. Many people responded to the call for help in raising funds, the Serbian people made a significant contribution, and the first Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia Karel Kramarzh did not stay aside. In general, it turned out that the money collected was enough not just for a small chapel, but for a whole temple! Worked on the creation of various people - with the power and knowledge, ordinary citizens. They worked gratis, creating not just the Assumption Church, but a symbol of solidarity and gratitude of the Russians to those who hospitably received them in a foreign land. The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is made in compliance with the motives of the Pskov and Novgorod ancient architecture. It is a kind of monument to all the Russian people who died on another side. The first abbot of this temple was Bishop Sergius Korolev.
Sad girl
In the afternoon, the Olshanskoe cemetery is full of tourists, but at nightthis necropolis, like everyone else, is silent and deserted. There is no turmoil here: neither tourists, nor townspeople do not look here after sunset. Only the Sad Girl violates the buried peace: it is said that on the moonlit night of the month she appears in the oldest part of the cemetery - on Plague Square. Eyewitnesses describe it like this: dark long flowing hair, a dress that looks like a monk. The girl either tells something, or sings a sad song. Those who have heard it at least once say that tears come to their eyes from this melody, and their heart is filled with incredible sadness. And those who managed to look into the face of this sad girl, they assure that this face belongs to a man who has known both tremendous grief and great happiness.
This girl walks slowly through the night graveyard,bending over the gravestones of those who died from the plague. Her sighs are barely audible, the rustle of steps indistinguishable from the gusts of wind. A fragile, almost transparent figure slides between sculptures and gravestones. Invariably the girl moves to the same place - the crypt of Olshansky. It is said that her beloved is buried here.
How to get to the Prague cemetery?
From the city center to the necropolis just three kilometers.Olshanskoe cemetery is located at Vinohradská 1835/153. The most convenient way to get there is through the Prague metro - you need to get to Flora station. Those who want to enjoy the views of the city along the way should choose the tram number 5, 10, 13, 51. You need to get to the Olšanské hřbitovy stop.
