Vinohrady Cemetery

Vinohrady Cemetery
Vinohradský hřbitov
Chapel of St. Wenceslas in Vinohrady Cemetery
General information
Type	Cemetery
Location	Prague, Czech Republic
Coordinates	50°04′35″N 14°28′52″E / 50.0763°N 14.4811°E / 50.0763; 14.4811
Owner	City of Prague, Czech Republic

Vinohrady Cemetery (in Czech: Vinohradský hřbitov) is a large cemetery in Vinohrady in Prague 10 which contains Strašnice Crematorium. It is the second largest cemetery in Prague and is registered in the state list of cultural monuments. The remains of two Czech presidents are in this cemetery. President Václav Havel was a national hero whereas President Emil Hácha did not have his name put on his gravestone when he was buried in 1945.

The cemetery dates from 1885 although it was at first smaller than its current size of 10 hectares (25 acres). Over time the land has been extended three times. It ranks second by number of persons buried there. In terms of area, Ďáblice Cemetery is the largest in Prague.

In 1897 the municipal architect Antonín Turek designed the simple chapel here which is near the entrance. This chapel is dedicated to St. Wenceslas and should not be confused with the more modern St. Wenceslas Church in nearby Vršovice. In front of this chapel are the graves of those who were killed in the Prague Uprising of May 1945 as well as a memorial to the children killed during the German occupation of Prague during the Second World War.

The Strašnice Crematorium opened in 1932.

Notable burials here include the novelist Jaroslav Foglar, the sculptor Otto Gutfreund, President Emil Hácha, President Václav Havel's ashes, writers Jan Karafiát and Egon Kisch, the singer Laďka Kozderková, the painter Jakub Schikaneder, children's writer Karel Václav Rais, and historian and writer Zikmund Winter.