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12 Fascinating Cemeteries Around The World
Slide Nr 1These cemeteries may serve as the eternal resting place of many a departed soul, but they’ll keep your eyes alive with their stunning scenery, beautiful architecture and unique wonders both natural and cultural – and perhaps with a famous resident or two.
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12 Fascinating Cemeteries Around The World.
Slide Nr 2Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, Ireland – 1.5 million people are buried in this lovingly restored Victorian cemetery, from artists and poets to politicians who helped steer the course of Irish history and culture. Of particular note is the O’Connell Tower, a 55-metre-tall, round structure built to commemorate the 18th-century ‘liberator’ Daniel O Connell, who led the fight against the Anglican establishment and was a fierce critic of slavery in the US. As per his wishes, his heart is buried in Sant’Agata de’ Goti church in Rome, while the rest of his remains lie inside this crypt in Dublin. [Photo: William Murphy/Wikimedia Commons]
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12 Fascinating Cemeteries Around The World.
Slide Nr 3Cimitero Acattolico in Rome, Italy – Though sometimes called the ‘Protestant Cemetery’, many important historical and artistic figures of all religious backgrounds and nationalities are buried here, including poets John Keats and Percy Shelley – the latter of whom wrote: “It might make one in love with death, to think that one should be buried in so sweet a place.” It’s easy to see why. The cemetery is nestled between a portion of the Aurelian city walls and the Pyramid of Cestius (18-12BC), under the shade of cypress trees and surrounded by elaborate gardens. It’s easily accessible in the city, and well worth a visit. [Photo: ho visto nina volare/Flickr]
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12 Fascinating Cemeteries Around The World.
Slide Nr 4Hanging Coffins of Sagada, Philippines – If you’re up for a hike in the stunning mountains of northern Philippines, keep your eyes on the cliff sides of Sagada. For more than 2,000 years, the Sagada people have practiced the tradition of hand-carving coffins and suspending them as high up as possible in an effort to get them closer to the spirits. It is recommended you bring binoculars, so as to view the fascinating details of the site from a respectful distance. [Photo: Andrewhaimerl/Wikimedia Commons]
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12 Fascinating Cemeteries Around The World.
Slide Nr 5Cimitirul Vesel in Săpânța, Romania – If you’re in the area, a trip to the tiny town of Săpânța in northern Romania is worth it to catch a glimpse of the colourful and playfully decorated carved wooden crosses that adorn the graves in what is known as the Merry Cemetery. The tradition began in the 1930s by a local artist, and is carried on today by his son. Poems and vibrant images depict the lives of those who are buried there, for better and worse, but always lightheartedly. [Photo: Paf/Wikimedia Commons]
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12 Fascinating Cemeteries Around The World.
Slide Nr 6Assistens Kirkegård (Assistens Cemetery) in Copenhagen, Denmark – First opened in 1760, the Assistens Cemetery combines a certain historical charm, if you will, with lush, scenic paths and spaces to walk, jog or even picnic. Famous residents include Danes,such as Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard, as well as foreigners like American jazz artists Ben Webster and Kenny Drew, who made Copenhagen their home in the 1950s and ‘60s. The expansive green space is divided into sections and even contains a small museum dedicated to Herman Stilling, a local artist born in the 1920s and known for his paintings of trolls. [Photo: Derek Hartman]
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12 Fascinating Cemeteries Around The World.
Slide Nr 7Zoshigaya Cemetery in Tokyo, Japan – Located in the bustling Ikebukuro district of Tokyo, Zoshigaya covers about ten acres and is filled with towering old trees and carved and crumbling gravestones. While not often considered one of Tokyo’s most beautiful cemeteries, what it offers is a charming dichotomy of old and new, as if the city grew up around it – which it did, as the cemetery was built in 1874. It’s also crawling with cats, who stretch and sun themselves atop the tombstones. Join locals and visitors to seek out a few of the most famous people buried here, including General Tojo, an infamous WW2 war criminal, and Ogino Ginko, the first Western-trained female doctor to practice in Japan. [Photo: Rohan Gillett]
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12 Fascinating Cemeteries Around The World.
Slide Nr 8Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina – Another urban cemetery, La Recoleta could almost be considered a city all its own. Surrounding an 18th-century convent of the same name, as well as Our Lady of Pilar church, the cemetery is laid out in long, tree-lined blocks that make it easy to navigate and admire the vast array of ornate gravestones, vaults and mausoleums, many of which belong to wealthy families of Buenos Aires who have reserved space inside them for future generations. A treat for the eyes as much as it is for history buffs, La Recoleta features works in Baroque, Art Nouveau and even Neo-Gothic styles. Naturally, it’s the final resting place of numerous important Argentines, among them Eva Perón, better known as Evita. [Photo: Andrew Currie/Wikimedia Commons]
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12 Fascinating Cemeteries Around The World.
Slide Nr 9Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA – Just inside a Gothic gateway, this sprawling, historic cemetery covers 225 hectares and holds 190,000 gravesites, all atop the highest point in the city overlooking the downtown skyline. It is also home to a wildlife sanctuary and contains 130 different species of trees. Established in 1863, it houses a number of Civil War soldiers (from both sides), along with US President Benjamin Harrison, poet James Whitcomb Riley, who helped put Midwestern literature on the map, and John Dillinger, notorious bad-boy bank-robber and gangster. People still travel from all over the country to throw pennies on his grave. Visit in autumn for an explosion of colourful foliage. [Photo: Visit Indy]
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12 Fascinating Cemeteries Around The World.
Slide Nr 10Hegra in Alula, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, the cemetery features over 110 remarkably well-preserved tombs set against a desert landscape. Originally constructed as a final resting place for the most elite of the ancient Nabataean civilisation. Hegra’s largest structure is nearly 22 metres tall and contains the Tomb of Lihyan, Son of Kuza. On the grounds you also find wells and stone-lined water channels, a nod to Nabataean craftsmanship that gives the Romans a run for their money. Though Saudi Arabia isn’t likely at the top of your travel bucket list, if you do decide to visit, you can join a guided tour of the site.
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12 Fascinating Cemeteries Around The World.
Slide Nr 11Père Lachaise in Paris, France – Established in 1804, Père Lachaise Cemetery sees millions of visitors each year. Not only is it a pilgrimage destination, as the burial site for an exhaustive list of notable personalities – among them Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Georges Bizet and Amedeo Modigliani – it also contains verdant gardens, cobblestone paths and 300 years of architectural history. The site includes both a Jewish enclosure and Paris’ first Muslim cemetery, as well as the Aux Morts ossuary monument, a work by 19th-century sculptor Paul-Albert Bartholomé that houses the bones of several centuries of Parisians, in a contemporary nod to a necropolis. [Credit: Andrea Schaffer/Flickr]
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12 Fascinating Cemeteries Around The World.
Slide Nr 12Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia, USA – Heralded as one of the world’s most beautiful and soul-stirring cemeteries, Bonaventure sits on a bluff overlooking the Wilmington River and is a remarkable example of the American Southern Gothic style. Tombstones and sculpted angels are set among creeping vines, ferns and trees draped in distinctive Spanish moss, giving the entire place a haunting and otherworldly quality. Stroll the oak- and azalea-lined central boulevard, and keep an eye out for the ghost of little Gracie Watson, whose short life is commemorated in a tiny marble sculpture of a girl resting her palm on a tree trunk.
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12 Fascinating Cemeteries Around The World.
Slide Nr 13Highgate Cemetery in London, England – This ivy-coated Victorian cemetery offers Gothic-style tombs, wild and rambling English gardens and unparalleled views of London. Karl Marx is by far the most famous resident, along with Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, who lies in a lead-lined coffin due to the level of radioactivity found in his body. You can easily spend a day perusing the architectural and archeological highlights, including Egyptian Avenue, the Terrace Catacombs and the Circle of Lebanon, with its centenarian cedar tree that predates the cemetery. [Photo: DavideGorla/Flickr]
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