Central Cemetery

The Central Cemetery is the second largest cemetery in the Czech Republic. 

The land for the cemetery was acquired by the city of Brno from the municipality of Horní Heršpice in 1879. Based on a layout and designs that were the work of the architect Alois Prastorfer, it was opened on 3 November 1883 with the burial of ten-year-old Jiří Šimek. Over time, additional structures were added to Prastorfer’s original plan, including a ceremonial hall located in the lower part of the cemetery near the entrance, and a crematorium. 

The cemetery area, with military cemeteries, the burial ground of Soviet Army soldiers, many tombstones and graves of prominent personalities, and a valuable collection of service buildings, is of great artistic, historical, and moral value. It is not only the final resting place of the deceased, but also a gallery of extremely successful tombstones from the aesthetic point of view created by renowned artists and famous stonemasonry workshops. The cemetery is an integral part of the surrounding greenery. 

In 2023, the city of Brno commemorated the 140th anniversary of the opening of the Central Cemetery. To mark this occasion, the Cemetery Administration of the City of Brno organized several events for the public. One of these was guided walks around the cemetery, where participants learned not only about the cemetery's history but also about the history of Brno, the establishment of urban cemeteries, and burial practices.