Animální hřbitov Pardubice

Pardubice Animal Cemetery is one of the few places in the Czech Republic where a pet can be buried on municipal land and marked with a proper headstone. Operating since 2010, it sits on Pod Břízkami street, right behind the crematorium run by the city-owned company Služby města Pardubic.

Where exactly is the cemetery located?

The site sits at Pod Břízkami 990, next to the human crematorium and the municipal cemetery in Pardubice. This placement isn't accidental — the city concentrates all its funeral infrastructure, for people and animals alike, in one location, which lets a single municipal company manage everything.

What kinds of animals are buried here?

The grounds hold graves of dogs, cats, guinea pigs, birds, and other pets weighing up to 50 kg. While most headstones bear the names of dogs and cats, it's not unusual to spot a resting place for a rat or a white mouse — for many owners, these smaller animals were just as much a part of the family.

What do you need to arrange a burial?

Before a burial, the owner must present a veterinary certificate no older than three days and sign a declaration confirming the animal hadn't bitten or injured anyone in the preceding week. Without these two documents, a burial cannot proceed — a standard sanitary procedure meant to protect cemetery staff and other visitors.

How large is the cemetery and how many graves does it hold?

The cemetery has capacity for roughly 140 to 150 graves. A decade after opening, it's about half full, with 10 to 15 new graves added each year. That pace suggests steady but modest demand from residents of the region — this isn't a mass-market service but a quiet alternative for people who want a more lasting farewell than cremation alone offers.

How does it differ from a straightforward pet cremation?

Unlike cremation, where the ashes can be taken home or scattered elsewhere, burial at the Animální hřbitov lets owners return to a specific marked grave, much like at a human cemetery. It's that permanence — having a fixed place to come back to — that draws pet owners for whom a symbolic farewell matters.

Who runs the cemetery and how can it be reached?

The site is managed by the funeral services and crematorium division of Služby města Pardubic a.s. Staff handle burial arrangements by phone and email, and the whole process — from registration to choosing a plot — takes place directly on site.

Frequently asked questions

Can any animal be buried here? No — there's a 50 kg weight limit, and a current veterinary certificate is required.

Do you need to live in Pardubice to use the cemetery? Available information doesn't point to any residency restriction — owners from outside the city can use the service as long as they meet the formal requirements.

Is the cemetery open to visitors? Yes, it sits on publicly accessible grounds adjoining the municipal crematorium and cemetery.

Since when has it been operating? Since 2010, making it one of the longer-running facilities of its kind in the Czech Republic.