Central Cemetery in Vienna. Walks in Vienna: Central Cemetery View of the cemetery in the center of Vienna
Yes. We did it again - we visited a cemetery in another European country. The list was opened by an abandoned cemetery in Vilnius, which was roamed around in January. Now Vienna and its current legendary Central Cemetery.
Quite far from the city centerZimmering. The area of the cemetery is huge - 2.5 km² and about three million graves.
Moreover, it runs here public transport(because the distances are really impressive), and locals also come here just to take a walk. I'm not going to tell the story of this cemetery, I don't need to. So much has been written about himrewriteinformation for the billionth time there is no desire. But I can show what I saw with my own eyes and was stunned. For example, I met a deer there, but first things first.
We enter the territory of the cemetery and the first thing that catches our eye is a man who is sitting on a bench and reading a book. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, in front of the unreal beauty of the old graves (and they can really be beautiful, forget everything you knew about the monuments) and reading a book. This one picture can start the process of breaking patterns in your head. Then came a very self-sufficient protein. In general, there is nothing to say about her. Except that she reminded me of Gorky Park in Moscow. There, the same self-confident rodents jump and become impudent before our eyes. 
Along the paths we went to explore the cemetery. The old part looks like an absolute triumph of architectural thought, one monument is more pompous than the other. All tombstones are black, gray or white. Often there was writing in gold on black. Many monuments have columns and forged gates as a mandatory attribute. 
Almost all plates have mounting hooks, thanks to whichheavythe lids were lowered onto the coffin and sealed the grave forever. 
There you can even meet the instructions of the architect who created the monument.
Mostly family graves. They also mentioned professions. What could be better? The most common were doctors. 
The most interesting thing happened next. By itself, the phrase "interesting things happened next" in the text about visiting the cemetery sounds a little creepy, but what can you do, such is the harsh reality. We turn into an alley, and with peripheral vision I notice some movement in the bushes, a second later a deer jumps out of them in the literal sense of the word and crosses the alley. Deer! Not a cat, not a dove, and not even a squirrel we already know, but a huge deer! At the cemetery! He jumped first to the left, then to the right, walked along the graves. (Maybe visiting someone?) And jumped back into his bushes. This whole deer scene lasted no longer than 20 seconds, but I was speechless for a good few minutes.
Have you met a lot of deer in the Russian cemetery? What about those graves? What about entry permits for cars? Yes, you can drive around the cemetery, the speed limit is 20 km and 2€ for a permit.
Further - more The Central Cemetery is known for its famous dead. Presidents, cultural figures, writers and, of course, world famous composers are buried there. Here, please, the graves of LudwigvanBeethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss for example. As far as we understand, there is a monument to Mozart without a grave, the rest are according to the rules.
Vienna Central Cemetery, Central Friedhof - Wiener Zentralfriedhof. Centralfriedhof is located in Zimmering. Opened in 1874, has an area of 2.5 km², there are 3,000,000 graves (for comparison - in Vienna less than 2,000,000 people live). This is one of the largest cemeteries in Europe. Buried here Beethoven, Joe Zawinul, Falco, Schubert, Brahms, All Strauss, glitch... Here is "false grave" (memorial) of Mozart(his real grave is on Cemetery of St. Mark). And real- Salieri! Here was buried "beloved niece" Hitler Geli Raubal. Here ... And in the cemetery everything is buried and buried - the cost of burial here is much lower than in others! This is a huge, perfectly well-groomed city of the dead, located in a park area, a whole museum of luxurious tomb sculptures and monuments, tombs and crypts. Works in the cemetery Museum of Funeral Accessories .
The population of Vienna in the 19th century increased rapidly, so a new cemetery was needed. Therefore, in 1874, the Central Cemetery was made in Simmering. Initially, the cemetery was created as a memorial complex, the graves of famous people, including the great Austrian composers, were moved here. The remains of Beethoven and Strauss were brought here from the Wahringer Friedhof cemetery in 1888. Buried in the cemetery: Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Johann Nestroy, Antonio Salieri, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss (father), Johann Strauss (son), Joe Zawinul (Weather Report and Miles Davis band keyboardist), Falco ( pop singer, real name - Johann Hölzel). There is also a "false grave" (memorial) of Mozart.
In the same cemetery, Angelika "Geli" Maria Raubal (Angelika "Geli" Maria Raubal, 1908 -1931) found her last shelter - Hitler's niece and greatest love, who committed suicide (shot herself in the heart with Hitler's pistol). Her grave has not been preserved. It is known that on March 11, 1946, the body was exhumed from the existing crypt (type - for non-payment) and re-buried in a row of graves of group 33E, row 2, No. 73 in the same cemetery. In the 60s, this row of graves was razed to the ground. Then the grave was nevertheless restored, but did not last long: fearing a pilgrimage, it was again razed to the ground, and its exact location is officially unknown.
On the way from the city center, the first entrance will be, respectively, 1 - through it you will get directly to the Jewish part of the cemetery. Walking along the wall, you will reach the 2nd entrance - this is the front gate in the Art Nouveau style of the architect Max Hegel (Max Hegele), built in 1905. Entrance 2 is considered to be the central entrance.
Directly from the gate to the center of the cemetery - the Church of St. Charles Borromeo (Karl-Borromaus-Kirche, Friedhofskirche zum heiligen Karl Borromäus, Church of St. Borromeo) - the same Hegel designed it, and it was built from 1908 to 1910 , and there they immediately buried (in a special crypt) the then deceased mayor of the city. Opposite the church of St. Charles Borromeo is the presidential crypt-mausoleum, where, since 1945, the Austrian presidents of the Second Republic and their spouses have been buried with honors. Including in 2007, Kurt Waldheim, not only the Austrian president, but also the UN Secretary General from 1972 to 1981, was buried here.
On the way to the church there are Honorary burials - on the left (groups 32a and 14a) and on the right (32c and 14c). Gluck, Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss (father and sons), Brahms are all in Group 32a on the right. Mozart's symbolic burial is also in 32a. This pantheon of celebrities is a semicircle of graves with rather pretentious tombstones. Further along, in front of the Borromean Church, a little to the left, is the "wedge" of group 33G. There is a whole pantheon of figures of contemporary art, with rather original, sometimes, tombstones. For example, a pink phallic symbol over the grave of the performance artist Franz West (even during his lifetime he loved to sculpt sculptures in this spirit), the ascetic parallelepiped of Hans Kann, a modern Austrian composer, and the grave of Weather Report keyboardist Joe Zawinul, overshadowed by eternal "creative confusion". The grave of the famous pop singer Falco is quite far away, in group 40 (from the church you should turn left and stomp from half a kilometer.
By the way, the grave is the grave of Antonio Salieri (it is difficult to find it) not far from entrance 2 (as soon as you entered - immediately to the left), near the wall, almost opposite a small Orthodox church (around which there are many Russian graves). If you go further to the left along this wall to the end, then the last grave is the tombstone of the famous architect Adolf Looz. Behind it begins, by the way, a whole ridge of solar panels of the local power plant ...
This cemetery also has a special sector with the graves of Russian soldiers of 1945 - right behind the church of St. Charles Borromeo. There is nothing remarkable here - but there are a lot of nameless graves. Statues of two Soviet soldiers with lowered flags in their hands and a memorial panel with a quote from Stalin, poems by Mikhalkov and Alexei Surkov stand out as on a monument on Schwarzenbergplatz. But in sector 40, where Falco is buried, and in sector 33G, where Zawinul is buried, you can find many original and even funny (as it is not paradoxical) tombstones.
Across the Simmeringer Hauptstrasse from the main gate, slightly to the left, is the Crematorium, which was built by Clemens Holzmeister in 1922. Entrance 3 leads to Protestant graves, entrance 4 to new Jewish burials.
Since October 2014, a Funeral Museum (The Funeral Museum). Signposts help guide you. Open from 7.00 to 19.00. The central cemetery, due to its size, has long and fairly wide alleys-roads. It is allowed to travel by car at a speed of 20 km/h. Only on November 1 (All Saints' Day) the entrance is closed due to the large influx of visitors (sometimes over 300 thousand). Since 1971, a special bus has been running around the cemetery for people who do not have their own car. He travels every half an hour every day on the ring road (Line 106). To travel, you need to purchase a VOR ticket, in addition, you can pay on the spot. You can ride around the cemetery in a fiacre (wagon) - it's like a kind of quick "tour" to all the "known" graves. Fiacra ride from entrance 2, daily, from 10 to 7 pm. A short trip costs 40 Euro and lasts 30 minutes, a long one costs 70 Euro and an hour (vienna-carriage.com).
To the entrance to the cemetery from the square Schwarzenbergplatz since 1901, the old red tram number 71 has also been running (direction Zentralfriedhof 3.Tor). Therefore, in a vein, they often say about death like this: "He sat on the 71st." Near the rear entrance to the cemetery is the subway station (S-Bahn) Wien Zentralfriedhof, line S7. Another U3 line ends almost 2 km from the cemetery (Simmering station). Then again you can transfer to tram 71 or 6, which reach the third gate of Zentralfriedhof 3.Tor. It is better to get off at the second stop Zentralfriedhof 2.Tor - this is the main entrance.
Just walking around the cemetery, not knowing where a particular grave is located - a dead number, it is huge. There are, of course, some plans and pointers. But first ask where you are going. There is a search on the site - switch to English, enter the name of the buried person in the search form, then click on the name and surname in the search results and the site will give you a map with a circle in the place where the grave is located. Cemetery maps are also sold at entrance 2. Something like a quick operational map
Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, the Strausses, as well as other famous Austrians are buried there: writers, architects, politicians. The cemetery is huge, it is perceived more like a park with wide alleys. Tombstones are works of art. Let's take a walk.
The cemetery can be reached by tram number 71. This is a cult route that has become a household name in colloquial speech. Sometimes they say: "He got on the 71st." This means that the person went on his last journey.
Cathedral of Saint Charles Borromeo. It may seem that this is the center of the cemetery, but it is not. Behind the church is just a large part. We were lucky with the weather that day. The day before it was cloudy, the next morning the sky cleared up.
The territory is conditionally divided into zones: a cemetery of musicians, foreigners, evangelists, a Jewish cemetery. There is even a Buddhist stupa. I will talk about this in the next posts.
Each grave has an original statue. Almost like an open-air sculpture park. You can wander for hours and look at the tombstones. This is a very quiet and peaceful place, the noise of the city remains somewhere behind the walls. Only flying planes remind of reality.
What a strange grave there in the distance. What does this monument mean? A piece of a body, an arm, some kind of bone...
Grave of Karl Ritter. This is a famous architect and an outstanding engineer, the creator of the Semmering railway project and other grandiose structures.
I was afraid that among the millions of graves I would not find either Beethoven, or Brahms, or Schubert. However, right on the main alley there is a signpost MUSICIANS. The place is quite popular among tourists.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). Born in Bonn, buried in Vienna. Beethoven wrote in all the genres that existed in his time: sonatas, concertos, symphonies, music for dramatic performances, even an opera, though one is called Fidelio. His works are among the most performed in the world. At the age of 26, the composer began to lose his hearing. For a musician, this means the end of a career. However, deafness did not prevent Beethoven from composing music. The story made a strong impression on me as a child. Last year I was. Now visit the burial place.
Tombstone of Mozart. This is a memorial grave, the composer is buried.
Franz Schubert (1797-1828). During his short life, he wrote 10 operas, 6 masses, 9 symphonies, 21 sonatas, about 600 vocal compositions and many piano works. Schubert's works are among the most famous in the world. I was surprised to learn that my favorite Ave Maria is officially called Ellen's Third Song.
Johann Strauss and Johannes Brahms. Brahms wrote in many genres, but symphonies brought him fame. To talk about Strauss, you first need to find out which one it is.
There are two Strauss, both Johannes. The father lived from 1804 to 1849, the son from 1825 to 1899. A few words about senior. The boy had a difficult childhood, he lost his parents early. Against the desire to study music, the guardian assigned Johann to study bookbinding. However, at the first opportunity, the guy began to take violin lessons and play in taverns. Strauss was a great violinist. He played virtuoso, faultlessly, temperamentally and at a crazy pace. This was his passion. At 23, he created his first orchestra. Conducting violinist - this is something new! Johann Strauss became mega-popular. He was famous, loved by the public and toured extensively in Europe. In 1825, Johann Strauss Jr. appears, followed by four more children. The elder Strauss insists that none of them compose music or play the violin. But one day a terrible thing happened: Johann the father found Johann the son just doing this. He got angry and took the violin away. However, Johann Jr. continued his studies, only since then in secret. At the same time, he carried away the brothers - Josef and Eduard. The father was furious and disinherited them, unsubscribing everything to the children of his mistress, there were seven of them, by the way. After the official divorce, he married a second time, to the same mistress, the owner of the mill. Another interesting fact: during the revolution of 1848, the elder Strauss supported the Habsburgs, and the younger was for the rebels. Father and son were on opposite sides of the barricades. Their fight lasted a lifetime.
Johann Strauss Sr. created 251 pieces, 152 of which were waltzes. The manuscripts were preserved and published by his son Johann Strauss Jr. at his own expense, despite the history of the inheritance. Moreover, the second wife left Strauss in the last days of his life. An ex-wife and son came to him, but they did not find Strauss Sr. alive.
Strauss Jr. is called the "king of the waltz". During his life he wrote about 500 works, including 168 waltzes, 117 polkas, 73 quadrilles, 43 marches, 31 mazurkas, 15 operettas, comic opera and ballet. Despite the conflict with his father, who in every possible way interfered with his son's career, thanks to his talent, the younger Strauss quickly gained universal recognition. Unlike the envious father, on the contrary, he helped Joseph and Eduard, promoted them and recommended them to the right people. His famous saying, which he joked: the brothers are more talented than me, I'm just more popular. Sometimes there is confusion in the characters, so you always have to specify father-son or elder-younger. But that's not all, it turns out that my grandfather's name was also Johann! Johann Michael Strauss.
I was followed by Chinese women with large cameras, and then an organized group with a guide came. So the cemetery is quite a popular tourist attraction. But this is only a small piece of a vast territory. It is located near the entrance, and many visit only the graves of composers. In fact, there are many interesting things. Continued in the next posts.
Add me as a friend so you don't miss new posts
The Vienna Central Cemetery is one of the largest in Europe. It covers an area of two and a half square kilometers and consists of more than three million graves. The cemetery is located in the southern, not yet completely built-up area of the city called Simmering.
Near it are motorways and expressways. Railway, the air corridor of the Vienna international airport. A special bus runs around the cemetery every half an hour. Vehicles are allowed on the main roads.
The Vienna Central Cemetery has been functioning since 1874. In the majestic white cathedral of St. Charles Borromeo has been burying Austrian presidents since 1951. In addition to the political elite, world-famous composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Antonio Salieri, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss (father and son), Hugo Wolf and others found their last refuge in the Vienna Central Cemetery. Their graves are occupied by a separate area - Ehrengräber. The abundance of composer graves gave the Central Cemetery a second name - the Musical Cemetery.
In total, there are about a thousand honorary graves of Austrian writers, artists, architects, sculptors, mathematicians, actors and football players in the main Vienna cemetery. The Vienna Central Cemetery is open daily. It opens at 7-8 in the morning and closes at 5-8 in the evening. Opening hours depend on the season. In the summer months, the cemetery is open the longest (from seven to eight hours), in the winter - less (from eight to five).
Vienna Central Cemetery - PHOTO
You are not the first time in Vienna, you are familiar with all the main attractions and do not know what to do with yourself? Tired of the Hofburg and Schönbrunn, the taste of coffee at Oberlaa and the sight of penguins at the zoo? Or maybe you are a fan of non-traditional routes? Then visit the Vienna Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof) - it's quite curious.
By the way, the name Central is completely unrelated to the location of the cemetery. You will first have to go to it by metro, and then by tram number 71: the cemetery is located in the 11th district. Gate 2 is considered the main entrance. The tram travels along the territory of the cemetery for a very long time, even making several stops. And this is not surprising, the Central Cemetery in Vienna is the second largest in Europe, only the Ohlsdorf cemetery in Hamburg is larger than it.
In Georgia, for example, it is customary for whole families to come to rest to Orthodox churches, walk along the alleys on their territory, admire the flowers, and it is customary for the Viennese to behave this way in the city cemetery. They generally have a very original attitude towards death: calm. By the way, the inhabitants of Vienna are surprised that they are accused of burying Mozart in a common grave. Well, it’s normal, a local resident will tell you, at that time they always did this, but what, something is wrong?
The cemetery is quite suitable for walking: wonderful shady alleys, many flowers, beautiful monuments are decorated here. On the territory of the cemetery there are more than three million graves - practically the city of the dead. It is quite possible to get lost here, so that this does not happen, there are boards with maps at some intersections, and sometimes a bus runs around the cemetery. Complete comfort! So Vienna is not without reason recognized as the most comfortable city on the planet.
Funerals are held here on a grand scale and pomp, musicians from popular orchestras are invited. Anyone can come up, listen and watch - in Vienna this is normal, no one will be surprised. It is customary here to present an epitaph on a birthday. It will be received with understanding and humor. If you like the epitaph, then it will be able to decorate the tombstone with itself. If death is inevitable, then it is worth treating it philosophically.
Here there are burials of famous people of the past and the present. The place in the cemetery is not yet occupied, so it is still active. Old interesting burials are located not far from the main alley, and if you carefully get acquainted with the map, then it will not be difficult to find them. By the way, if you ask at the local office located at the entrance, you can get a map of the cemetery printed on paper for free. And then it will be possible to easily find the grave of Strauss ... or Brahms ... or Beethoven ... or Schubert.
And you don't have to go far.
The cemetery is famous not only for the well-known names of the buried, but also for the beauty of the design of the tombstones. Most often there are sculptures of angels of various sizes and colors.
They froze over the graves, carefully hugging the medallions with epitaphs and names, or straightening the marble folds of the monuments.
But there are enough sculptures, and besides them, for the most part, they are very eloquent.
Some of them are still quite new, many are slightly covered with lichen and moss, and some have been here for more than a century, and they are partially covered by already dried ivy itself.
By the way, ivy is everywhere here, according to the best cemetery traditions.
Some of the sculptures are standard…
And some are so peculiar that they evoke thoughts about the originality of modern art.
Some crypts resemble fairy-tale castles and houses.
You should not think that only famous and ordinary foreigners found their last shelter in this cemetery. You can get acquainted with two Russian military sections. One small, marked by an obelisk with an eloquent inscription.
The second is much larger, here is the resting place of those who died during the Second World War.
Behind every grave, even unknown ones, there is careful care, as a tribute to the fallen.
And soldiers of stone guarding eternal rest.
The obelisk to those who died during the First World War is located in the far part of the Central Cemetery, and to those who died in the Second - on the central alley behind the large church.
After examining these historical monuments, you can slowly return, looking at the graves along the road and watching the flights of butterflies and bumblebees.