We use cookies for analytics and advertising. Necessary cookies are always on. Privacy Policy
Olsany Cemetery: Prague's Largest & Most Atmospheric
Prague Guide
Olšany Cemetery — Prague's Largest and Most Atmospheric
By Uliana Formina · top-category licensed Prague guide · 17 years of experience
Share:
Prague has famous churches, castle courtyards, and bridges that draw millions. But one of the most quietly powerful places in the city is a 50-hectare burial ground in the Žižkov district that most visitors never find. Olšany Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the Czech Republic — two million people have been buried here since 1680 — and walking through its overgrown paths feels more like entering a forgotten forest than visiting a graveyard.
We bring guests here when they want something beyond the postcard version of Prague. The cemetery holds the graves of writers, composers, revolutionaries, and one young student whose self-immolation changed a nation. It connects to the New Jewish Cemetery next door, where Franz Kafka is buried. And unlike Prague's tourist sites, Olšany is never crowded. You will hear birds, wind through the trees, and your own footsteps on gravel. That is it.
A Cemetery Born from Plague
Olšany Cemetery was established in 1680 during a devastating outbreak of bubonic plague. The death toll in Prague was so severe that existing churchyard burial grounds could not cope, and a new site was opened outside the city walls to handle the volume of bodies. The name comes from the village of Olšany, which occupied this area at the time.
In 1787, Emperor Joseph II issued a decree banning burials within Prague's city limits for public health reasons. Olšany was designated as Prague's central cemetery, and it expanded steadily through the 19th and 20th centuries. Today the rectangular site is divided by Jana Želivského street into two main sections — Olšanské hřbitovy I (the western part, containing sections II through IX and Municipal Cemetery I) and Olšanské hřbitovy II (the eastern part, containing section X, Municipal Cemetery II, and the New Jewish Cemetery).
The numbers are staggering: approximately 25,000 individual tombs, 200 chapel tombs, 65,000 grave sites, 20,000 urn graves, six columbariums, and two scattering meadows. The cemetery also contains an Orthodox section, a small Muslim section, and honorary burial grounds reserved for figures of national significance.
Insider tip: the main entrance is on Vinohradská street, flanked by flower shops that have served mourners and visitors for decades. Enter here and you immediately feel the scale — long avenues of linden trees stretching into the distance, with rows of tombs on both sides disappearing into dense vegetation.
Notable Graves — Who Rests at Olšany
Olšany holds a cross-section of Czech cultural and political history. Finding specific graves can be challenging given the cemetery's size, but the most visited sites are well-signposted.
Jan Palach (section IX/2/89) — perhaps the most emotionally significant grave in the cemetery. Palach was the 20-year-old Charles University student who set himself on fire on Wenceslas Square on 16 January 1969 to protest the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. He died three days later. His grave is near the main entrance — enter through the Vinohradská gate and turn right; it is about 50 metres along on the left, marked by a bronze sculpture by Olbram Zoubek. The grave is almost always adorned with fresh flowers.
The story of Palach's remains is itself a chapter of Cold War history. As his gravesite became a place of pilgrimage and political protest, the secret police (StB) exhumed his body in October 1973 and had it cremated, then transferred the ashes to his mother's village. The regime wanted to erase the shrine. After the Velvet Revolution, Palach's ashes were returned to Olšany in October 1990 and reinterred at his original location.
Božena Němcová — one of the most important Czech writers of the 19th century, author of *Babička* (The Grandmother), a novel that remains foundational to Czech literary identity. Her grave is in the older western section.
Josef Jungmann — the linguist and lexicographer whose Czech-German dictionary helped revive the Czech language during the National Revival of the early 19th century. Without Jungmann's work, Czech might have faded as a literary language.
Jan Palach's story connects directly to the broader events we cover in our article on the <a href="/en/blog/velvet-revolution-1989-prague" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Velvet Revolution of 1989</a> — the uprising that finally fulfilled what Palach died for.
Other notable burials include composer Jaroslav Ježek, illustrator Josef Lada (creator of the beloved Švejk illustrations), mathematician Bernard Bolzano, poet Viktor Dyk, and the comedy duo Voskovec and Werich, who defined Czech theatrical humour in the interwar period. For more on the people who shaped this city, see our guide to famous people from Prague.
Insider tip: the cemetery office near the main entrance has a map and can help locate specific graves. The staff are accustomed to visitors searching for particular names. On All Souls' Day (2 November), the cemetery is transformed — thousands of candles flicker on graves throughout the grounds, and the atmosphere after dark is extraordinary.
Walking Through the Grounds
Olšany does not feel like a manicured memorial park. Large sections are deliberately left to grow wild, with ivy covering tombstones, tree roots lifting stone slabs, and moss softening the edges of 19th-century sculptures. This is part of its character. Prague's municipal authorities maintain the paths and the most significant monuments, but much of Olšany is allowed to age naturally.
The oldest sections, near the western entrance, contain the most ornate tombs — carved angels, draped urns, obelisks, and family chapel crypts from the 1800s. Some of these are elaborately decorated with Art Nouveau metalwork and stained glass. As you walk east, the styles shift through the decades — from Habsburg-era formality to functionalist simplicity to the plain granite markers of the Communist period.
The atmosphere changes with the seasons. In autumn, the cemetery floor disappears under fallen leaves and the light filters through bare branches at low angles. In spring, wildflowers push through the gravel paths. Summer brings dense green canopy that blocks the city noise entirely. In any season, the quiet is the first thing you notice.
Insider tip: the section near the eastern boundary, close to the junction with Jana Želivského street, contains a Commonwealth War Graves Commission plot. Thirty-nine graves mark the resting places of British and Commonwealth airmen who served with Czech squadrons during World War II or died in Czechoslovakia during the conflict. It is small, immaculately maintained, and deeply moving.
The New Jewish Cemetery — Where Kafka Is Buried
Adjacent to the eastern section of Olšany lies the New Jewish Cemetery (Nový židovský hřbitov), Prague's largest Jewish burial ground. This is where Franz Kafka is buried, and his grave is the single most visited site in the entire Olšany complex. The two cemeteries are separate institutions — the New Jewish Cemetery is administered by Prague's Jewish community — but visitors routinely combine them in a single walk.
The Kafka grave Prague pilgrimage begins at the New Jewish Cemetery's entrance on Izraelská street, beside the Želivského metro station (line A). Men should cover their heads — paper yarmulkes are available at the gate free of charge. From the entrance, follow the main avenue eastward, turn right at row 21, then left at the wall. Kafka's family grave is at position 21-14-21, near the corner of the block.
The grave itself is a tall, narrow monument of grey crystalline stone, marking the resting place of Franz Kafka (1883-1924) and his parents Hermann and Julie Kafka. Visitors leave pebbles on the ledge in the Jewish tradition, along with notes, letters, and occasionally small objects. A memorial plaque to Kafka's friend Max Brod — who defied Kafka's dying wish to destroy his manuscripts and instead published them — stands directly opposite.
The New Jewish Cemetery was founded in 1890 when the older Jewish burial grounds in the city became full. It covers approximately 10 hectares and contains an estimated 100,000 graves. Beyond Kafka, the cemetery holds the remains of many prominent members of Prague's Jewish community from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Insider tip: the walk between the main Olšany entrance on Vinohradská and the Kafka grave takes about 20 minutes on foot. You cross through the eastern sections of Olšany, exit onto Jana Želivského street, and enter the New Jewish Cemetery from Izraelská street. Alternatively, take metro line A to Želivského — the New Jewish Cemetery entrance is directly beside the station exit.
This is not the same cemetery as the famous Old Jewish Cemetery in the Josefov quarter, which dates to the 15th century and is part of the Jewish Museum complex. For the full story of Prague's Jewish heritage, see our guide to Jewish history in Prague.
A private guide makes all the difference when exploring this part of Prague.
The Orthodox and Military Sections
The eastern part of Olšany contains sections that reflect Prague's diverse communities. The Orthodox cemetery, with its distinctive onion-shaped crosses and Cyrillic inscriptions, serves Prague's Russian, Serbian, and Greek Orthodox communities. Some graves here date to the 19th-century emigrant communities; others mark the White Russian exiles who fled to Prague after the 1917 revolution.
The military sections include the Commonwealth War Graves plot mentioned above and a separate area for Czechoslovak soldiers who died in both World Wars. The contrast between the modest military headstones and the elaborate civilian tombs in the older sections tells its own story about how different eras honoured their dead.
Insider tip: the Orthodox section is in the far eastern corner, past the Muslim burial area. It is the least-visited part of Olšany and one of the most atmospheric — mature trees, elaborate wrought-iron enclosures, and headstones with faded photographs embedded in porcelain ovals.
Practical Information
Main entrance: Vinohradská street (western entrance, near Flora metro station). Secondary entrances on Jana Želivského street and Fibichova street.
Getting there: Metro line A to Flora (for the main western entrance) or Želivského (for the eastern sections and New Jewish Cemetery). Trams 11 and 13 along Vinohradská also stop nearby.
Opening hours: the cemetery grounds are open daily. Hours vary seasonally — typically 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM in summer, shorter in winter. The New Jewish Cemetery has its own hours and is closed on Saturdays (Shabbat) and Jewish holidays.
Admission: free for the main Olšany Cemetery. The New Jewish Cemetery is also free, though donations are appreciated.
Time needed: 1-2 hours for a focused visit to the main highlights (Palach grave, oldest sections, walk to Kafka grave). A thorough exploration of the full grounds could take half a day.
Experience It With a Private Guide
Olšany rewards slow, thoughtful visitors. The kind of people who pause at a gravestone, read the dates, and wonder about the life between them. If you appreciate that kind of depth, our private tours take the same approach to the rest of Prague — fewer crowds, more stories, and the details that most visitors walk past.
Our Charles Bridge and Old Town tour covers the Jewish Quarter, where Prague's Jewish history runs deepest — from the medieval Old Jewish Cemetery to the synagogues that survived both Habsburg reforms and Nazi occupation. Just your group, no strangers, and a guide who connects these places to the lives of real people.
After a reflective afternoon at Olšany, lighten the mood with our Medieval Dinner in Prague — a lively candlelit feast with swordplay, period music, and hearty Czech food in a historic tavern. The shift from cemetery silence to medieval celebration is a Prague day you will not forget.
FAQ
Where exactly is Kafka's grave?
Franz Kafka is buried in the New Jewish Cemetery (Nový židovský hřbitov), which is adjacent to the main Olšany Cemetery but has its own entrance on Izraelská street, beside the Želivského metro station. His grave is at position 21-14-21. Follow the main avenue east from the entrance, turn right at row 21, then left at the wall.
Is Olšany Cemetery the same as the Old Jewish Cemetery?
No. The Old Jewish Cemetery in the Josefov quarter dates to the 15th century and is part of the Jewish Museum. Olšany Cemetery is in the Žižkov district and dates to 1680. The New Jewish Cemetery adjacent to Olšany is a separate burial ground from the Old Jewish Cemetery.
Is it appropriate to visit Olšany as a tourist?
Yes. Olšany is a public cemetery and visitors are welcome. Be respectful — keep voices low, do not sit on graves, and follow posted rules. Photography is permitted in the main Olšany sections. In the New Jewish Cemetery, check the signage at the entrance for any specific guidelines.
How do I find Jan Palach's grave?
Enter through the main gate on Vinohradská street and turn right. Palach's grave is approximately 50 metres along the path on the left side, marked by a distinctive bronze sculpture. It is in section IX and is usually decorated with fresh flowers.
When is the best time to visit Olšany Cemetery?
Autumn is the most atmospheric season — fallen leaves, low golden light, and thin mist in the mornings. All Souls' Day (2 November) is particularly striking, when thousands of candles illuminate the graves after dark. Weekday mornings year-round offer the most solitude.
-6-640x430.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
