Alive, Not Dead Yet - Graves At The Central Cemetery Vienna - Es Lebe Der Zentral Friedhof!

The Vienna Central Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in the world, largest by number of buried in Europe and most famous cemetery among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries.

Why would anybody want to visit graves when you could go to the beautiful city centre of Vienna, exploring the magnificent posh streets, interesting exhibitions in various galleries, the most brilliant museums, sipping coffee in cafes and finding many historical buildings, spread out all over town. 

Trust me, sightseeing at the mysterious and stunning area of the Viennese Zentral Friendhof, where you can find uncountable tombes of famous people, is on my to-do list for tourists who would love see something off mainstream. Go for a walk if you have more than just 2/3 days time for your holidays. You will not regret it.   

Its one of a kind, life time experience, as you can see in my original photos I took at my last visit at the end of the winter.

My friend Nina invited me to join, to put flowers and candles for her father's death-day. 

She told me a lot of insider tips what she had to do after his death. A thought crossing my mind thinking of my Mutti. 

I couldn't believe how complicated it is and how expansive to own such resting place. 

It was an ice-cold and crystal clear, sunny day looking for our grave I actually never found,  my mother told me about. 

OMG, I had to find my grave! 

My 92 years old mother sat me down one day and told me that she bought a place next to her. I was shocked. 

This sounded kind of macabre to me. I really don't see myself laying down in such hole. I never thought about such stuff. Buying my place in a grave? Damn, it was time to give this more thought. I would prefer to burn up in ash and go to heaven like Balinese do. Whoever will read this article, especially my daughter and family, please make sure to let me go in freedom, back to the universe.....I just cannot see myself in a graveyard, in one spot for infinity. No No No!

Living in Bali taught me a lot about reincarnation I believe in and cremation ceremonies were on a regular schedule on the island.

I wrote a few articles here. 

[Episode 1] Intro for BACKSTAGE BALI and What else A Tropical ISLAND has to offer besides EAT, PRAY and LOVE?

[Episode2] BACKSTAGE BALI, Turn To Ash ! Celebrate Life & Death 

Graveyards can be fun  

I remember that I smoked my first joint at age 16, sitting next to Beethovens grave, chatting about his life and how sad it was that he lost his hearing (like me) but still was able to write his 9th symphony, nearly deaf. 

Ludwig van Beethoven had the dubious pleasure of three burials. 

The Zentral Friedhof is a huge site, but he resides among a cluster of famous composers in one of the areas reserved for honored guests. 

On cemetery maps, it’s marked as Grave No.29 in Group 32a.

Image Source 

He died on the 26th of March, 1827 in Vienna and was buried a couple of days later in the Währinger Ortsfriedhof Then in 1863 the authorities decided to repair his burial site. They exhumed the body and put it in a new and better metal coffin before burying him again.Unfortunately, the cemetery shut in 1873, eventually converting to a park in the mid-1920s. In the meantime, it was decided to move Beethoven’s remains to a better site.So in 1888, he was dug up again and reburied in one of the honorary graves at the Zentralfriedhof, Vienna’s main cemetery. Third time lucky, one might say, as he’s been left to rest there since. Schubert suffered the same fate, but at least both fared better than Mozart. - Visiting Beethovens Grave here 

   

We would cruise around all over the huge area, watching out for the coolest graves, trying to catch some ghosts and since we were so high, we thought to see quite a lot of them. I was the only girl and those boys had some crazy ideas. It was fun to be a teenager doing a bit spooky things I rather don't tell:)

This time I went to visit "Rock me Amadeus" Falco's grave. 

I felt good to wish him a happy birthday. RIP Hansi!

Group 40 - Falco, Hans Hölzel died in a road accident in 1998, grave 64

When Vienna grew into a city of more than one million inhabitants, the old cemeteries of the various districts became too small, to accommodate the growing capital, the Central Cemetery, with an area of about 495 acres, was opened in 1874.

Austria is not short of famous local and adopted sons and daughters and a good selection of them found their last resting place at Vienna’s main cemetery.

Take a walk with me .....  

Coming from the city center, visitors pass Gate 1. This is the access point to the old Israelite section, a lush green burial ground with lots of architecturally interesting monuments and graves of prominent Jewish personalities. Amongst those buried in Group 5b are Arthur Schnitzler and Friedrich Torberg. Walking along the cemetery wall, visitors arrive at the main gate (Gate 2), built by Max Hegele in the Art Nouveau style in 1905.- Source and opening hours 

Through the main gate, you walk on the main path toward the "Friedhofskirche zum heiligen Karl Borromäus" (Church of St. Borromeo), which is crowned by a large dome. The church, built by Hegele between 1908 and 1910, serves as the cemetery church and mausoleum of Lueger, the mayor of the city from 1897 to 1910. Both to the left (Groups 32a and 14a) and to the right (Groups 32c and 14c) of this main roadway is the Grave of Honor, probably the largest such arrangement of special honorary tombs in the world. Among many others, Gluck, Beethoven, Schubert, Hugo Wolf, Johann Strauss Father and Son, Lanner and Brahms are buried in Group 32a, Arnold Schönberg and Robert Stolz in Group 32c.

Directly in front of the Memorial Church is the mausoleum in which the Austrian presidents who have died since 1945 (Renner, Körner, Schärf, Jonas) are interred. Mozart was given an honorary monument in Group 32a, but his actual grave is in an unknown location at the Cemetery of St. Marx. In 2015, the urn of singer, pianist and composer Udo Jürgens found its final resting place within a white marmoreal piano, close to jazz pianist Joe Zawinul and actor Fritz Muliar (Group 33g).

How many Graves? A lot!

Here is a list of the most famous ones 

I took so many photos and also reading some of the interesting stories written on the tombestones.

What a weird afternoon this was but so interesting, giving the dead my respect. 

  

  

Every Austrian knows Wolfgang Ambros and one of his famous songs : "Es lebe der Zentral Friedhof" from 1975

Es lebe der Zentralfriedhof und alle seine Tot'n, da Eintritt is für Lebende heut ausnahmslos verbot'n.
Weu da Tod a Fest heut gibt die ganze lange Nacht, und von die Gäst ka anziger a Eintrittskarten braucht.

Wanns Nacht wird über Simmering, kummt Leb'n in die Tot'n und drüb'n beim Krematorium tan's Knochenmark abbrat'n. Durt hint'n bei der Marmorgruft, durt stehngan zwa Skelette, die stess'n mit zwa Urnen an, und saufen um die Wette.

Am Zentralfriedhof ist Stimmung wia's sein Lebtag no net war, weu alle Tot'n feiern heute seine ersten hundert Jahr.

  

Maybe All one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets. - Artur Miller 

Follow @mammasitta and read more of my Blogs about Vienna, mostly for my airbnb guests. 

 The Vienna Secession built by Joseph Olbrich - An Artist Movement! 

Spittelau Waste Incineration Plant in Vienna designed by Eco-Architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser

Fancy A Coffee And Kaiserschmarrn Around The Beauty Of Natural History Museum in Vienna (Part1)

A Valuable Collection Of Extinct And Threatened Species At The Natural History Museum in Vienna -Part2

and many more ......