Article by Mike Hepburn, Originally Appeared on Funeral Tech
Sure, you may not plan your next vacation destination based on which famous cemetery you can see while you’re there, but a visit to any of the following cemeteries is sure to be worth your while.
Père-Lachaise
Paris, France
Located in the 20th arrondissement, Père-Lachaise Cemetery is the largest in Paris. On any given day, you will see dozens of groupies making a pilgrimage to the grave of rock singer Jim Morrison of The Doors. It is also the final resting place of hundreds of notable artists, scientists and public figures including Sarah Bernhardt, Frédéric Chopin, Molière, Edith Piaf, Gertrude Stein, Jean Valjean and Oscar Wilde
Highgate Cemetery
London, England
Notable for its natural setting boasting of trees, ferns and other vegetation, Highgate is renowned for the historic Victorian figures buried there. The most famous Highgate resident, by far, is Karl Marx.
F
orest Lawn Memorial Park / Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Los Angeles, USA
If it’s celebrity tombstones you are seeking, then a trip to the two major Hollywood cemeteries is in order. Forest Lawn, with its quasi theme-park approach to cemeteries is the most unusual, boasting reproductions of famous works of art. It is also the final resting place of such celebrities as Michael Jackson, Humphrey Bogart, Joan Rivers, James Stewart, and countless others, although it’s important to note many of these are located in non-public areas.
A short drive across town will bring you to Hollywood Forever Cemetery (formerly Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery). Located adjacent to the Paramount Studio, the cemetery has seen a recent restoration following years of neglect and disrepair. It is now back to its original splendor and boasts movie nights on the Fairbanks lawn in the summer. Among the famous grave sites you can find there are Cecil B. DeMille, Mel Blanc, George Harrison, Rudolph Valentino, Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone.
Zentralfriedhof
Vienna, Austria
Europe’s largest cemetery in terms of the number of occupants and second largest in terms of area, Zentralfriedhof is renowned for its composers including Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss, Brahms,
Old Jewish Cemetery
Prague, Czech Republic
The oldest discernable date found on a tombstone is 1439, although it is believed the Old Jewish Cemetery may have been in operation a century earlier. It operated until 1787. Visitors can see layers upon layers of tombstones. this is because they ran out of space a could not buy additional tracts of land, therefore they purchased more earth to add more layers of graves, and since it is against Jewish laws to destroy tombstone, the existing ones had to be preserved,
Saint Louis Cemetery
New Orleans, USA
Saint Louis Cemetery actually refers to three different cemeteries in the New Orleans area. They are well known for the above-ground tombs. This is apparently more closely related to to the city’s French and Spanish heritage than it is to the high water table.
