For the most part they are places where family and friends can remember lost loved ones, but some cemeteries move from simply being places of remembrance to becoming objects of fascination for the wider public.
Whether interest stems from famous residents, history or beautiful surroundings, these 10 cemeteries are our picks for the most fascinating grave sites around the world.
Though you may not wish to visit after dark…
Merry Cemetery, Maramures, Romania
Going against almost everything you’d expect a graveyard to be, the Merry Cemetery (Cimitirul Vesel in Romanian) in the village of Sapanța, Romania, is a place of color and quirkiness.
About two and a half miles south of the Ukrainian border, Merry Cemetery has become a popular attraction thanks to its colorful “folk art”-style tombstones. The bright and cheerful tombstones depict scenes from the lives of the dead, and while the epitaphs are largely warm and humorous, other graves tell tragic stories of deadly accidents and lives cut far too short.
The late Pop Grigore (image below) is painted atop his beloved tractor, but his tale is not so joyful.
Here I rest,
Pop Grigore is my name,
My tractor was my joy,
Drowned my sorrow in my wine,
I lived a troubled life,
For my father left me young,
Such my fate was,
That I should leave life,
Death, you took me early,
I was only 33.
The relatively recent tradition began when Local woodcarver Stan Ioan Patras sculpted the first tombstone crosses in the 1930s.
Before his death in 1977, Patras had time to create his very own memorial and pass on the trade to his apprentice Dumitru Pop Tincu who continues the brightly colored tradition. Today, more than 1,000 blue wooden crosses can be found on the site.
For a small fee you can visit the cemetery and Patras’s workshop (which also houses a small gallery). Make sure you pick up a guidebook when you’re there as the books include translations of the epitaphs.
Titanic Grave Site, Fairview Cemetery, Nova Scotia, Canada
At first glance, the Fairview Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, looks like your average grave site, but it is the final resting place for 121 victims of the RMS Titanic — more than any other cemetery in the world.
Most are remembered with small grey granite blocks (with the name and date of death) that were paid for by the White Star Line (the owners of Titanic), while some families paid for larger, individual tombstones.
Tragically, a third of the victims buried at Fairview were never identified — and their graves simply show the date of death and marker number.
One of the most striking and moving memorials is the grave of an “Unknown Child,” identified in 2008 as 19-month-old Sidney Leslie Goodwin who perished along with his parents and five siblings.
Sidney’s body was recovered by sailors on the Mackay-Bennett. The crew members were so upset by what they saw that they pulled together and paid for a monument. A small copper pendant was placed inside the coffin that simply read: “Our Babe.”
Mafia Graves, Yekaterinburg, Russia
In Russia it would seem showing off with bling and swag is not restricted to the living.
In the graveyards of Yekaterinburg, Russia criminal gang members are immortalized with life-sized grandiose depictions of themselves carved onto huge blocks of imported marble. Full of symbolism, bosses are shown dressed in expensive suits and gangsters are pictured holding keys to luxury cars. One fellow went so far as to have a separate grave for his car!
During the 1990s, Yekaterinburg was a center of organized crime in Russia with two rival gangs fighting for control of the city — the Uralmash and the Centralniy.
The Uralmash buried their dead in the city’s northern cemetery and Centralniy in the west.
Isle of the Dead, Tasmania, Australia
An important site in Australia’s colonial history, Port Arthur first started life as a timber station before it became famous as a penal colony.
From 1833 to 1853, Port Arthur was home to the most hardened, convicted British criminals including those who re-offended after their arrival in Australia and rebellious prisoners from other facilities. It was known for having some of the strictest security measures around.
Reverend John Manton selected the Isle of the Dead, originally called Opossum Island, as the site of Port Arthur graveyard. Between 1833 and 1877, around 1,000 burials took place on the island. Convicts were forbidden from having headstones and were buried in unmarked graves on the lower south east of the island. Workers and their families were given the dignity of a headstone and were buried higher up on the island.
As time went on, the ban on prisoner headstones was relaxed and the first convict gravestone appeared in 1854.
It is possible to visit the island today with a guided boat tour from Port Arthur.
Hanging coffins, Sagada, Mountain Province, Philippines
For centuries the indigenous Igorot people of Sagada in the Philippines have practiced a rather unique burial process – hanging coffins from cliffs and caves.
The origins of this ritual are debated, but it is believed the hanging method started as a way to bring the deceased closer to heaven.
The hand-carved wooden coffins are carried through the dense jungle then suspended on ropes and wires. The coffins are often stacked on top of one another.
But this special form of burial isn’t open to just anyone. There are several criteria that need to be met including being married and having grandchildren.
The hanging coffins are now a popular attraction and you can visit these cemeteries in Echo Valley and Lumiang Cave.
Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
The Shah-i-Zinda (the Living King) necropolis in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, was formed over nine centuries and today includes more than 20 ornate buildings and mausoleums featuring some of the most exquisite tile work on earth.
Established more than 1,000 years ago, the site is believed to be the resting place of the Prophet Muhammed’s cousin, Kusam ibn Abbas, who brought the Islamic religion to the area in the seventh century.
The earliest buildings on the site date back to the 11th century, with the majority of the works completed in the 14th and 15th centuries.
The most beautiful tomb, the 14th century Shadi Mulk Aka Mausoleum, belongs to the wife of Turko-Mongol ruler Tamerlane.
As an important place of pilgrimage, visitors to Shah-i-Zinda should be respectful to worshippers and dress conservatively.
Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt
This dusty valley near the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes (modern Luxor) hides a beautiful piece of history.
For nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th centuries BC, Egypt’s Pharaohs and powerful nobles were laid to rest in the Valley of the Kings in a series of complex, and richly decorated, underground tombs. Some of the most well-known burials on the site are Ramesses II, Queen Hatshepsut, and, of course, Tutankhamun.
Though their false walls and hidden passageways were designed to thwart troublesome grave robbers, many of the tombs were looted of their rich bounty years ago. However, the thieves left the real treasure untouched – the brilliantly elaborate wall paintings.
A total of 63 tombs and chambers have been uncovered in the area, but only 18 are ever opened to the public (these are closed at different times to allow for restoration work). The cover price includes a ticket for entry into three tombs of your choice, though more popular tombs such as Ramesses VI’s and Tutankhamun’s require an additional ticket to visit.
Tutankhamun’s tomb is undoubtedly the most famous. The tomb is largely undecorated and its golden artifacts are stored in museums around the world. However, his mummy is still housed here. Tourist favorites include the tombs of Thutmose III, Horemheb, Merneptah and Ramesses VI.
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, United States
The first thing you notice when you visit Arlington National Cemetery are the rows upon rows of white tombstones that seem to go on forever.
Established during the Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, the cemetery is the burial site for more than 40,000 service members and their families.
Stretching over 624 acres, the cemetery is divided into 70 sections including one for nurses, another for those killed in the Global War on Terror and a third called Chaplains Hill.
The first soldier buried in Arlington was Private William Henry Christman of Pennsylvania on May 13, 1864, and today between 27 to 30 funeral services take place daily.
Arlington has seen five state funerals including services for Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy.
The grave of President Kennedy, who is buried with his wife, Jacqueline, and two of their children, is one of the most visited in Arlington. The grave is marked with an eternal flame and lies near the graves of his brothers Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Senator Ted Kennedy.
The “Tomb of the Unknowns” remains one of the most moving memorials at Arlington. The Tomb has been under non-stop guard since July 2, 1937, and the Changing of the Guard ceremony always attracts a crowd.
Highgate Cemetery, London, United Kingdom
Possibly the most visited and well-known graveyard in the world, Highgate Cemetery in North London is a popular attraction thanks to its natural beauty, haunting grave markers and famous occupants.
Opened in 1839, approximately 170,000 people are buried in Highgate’s East and West Cemeteries. Highgate quickly became a fashionable place to be buried and some of the best-known graves belong to authors Douglas Adams (who wrote “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”) and George Eliot (the name on the grave is Mary Ann Cross), Karl Marx and punk impresario Malcolm McLaren.
As of March 2013, visitors can only access the West Cemetery by guided tour. The East Cemetery remains self-guided.
The West Cemetery is home to the most impressive architectural features of Highgate Cemetery including the Chapel, Egyptian Avenue, Circle of Lebanon, Terrace Catacombs and the mausoleum of Julius Beer.
Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France
Like Highgate Cemetery in London, Père Lachaise Cemetery (Cimetière du Père-Lachaise) is notable for its setting and as the final resting place of many important French and international figures.
Opened in 1804, more than a million are now buried in its grounds. Among the most famous are Frédéric Chopin, Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf, Oscar Wilde and Marcel Proust.
If people wish to rest in peace with this exclusive set of neighbors, they must either die in the French capital or have lived there. Today, each grave site is given a 30-year lease, which, if not renewed by the family, is given up to a new owner. Remains are then sent to the cemetery’s Aux Morts ossuary.
Main Image by Serge Bystro
