Boninovo Cemetery

Boninovo Cemetery is a multi-confessional burial complex in Dubrovnik, set just outside the Old Town walls in the neighbourhood of the same name. It brings together several adjoining sections: a municipal cemetery, an Orthodox one and a Jewish one. It is a quiet place where the city's layered past can be read from its gravestones.

What is Boninovo Cemetery?

Boninovo is Dubrovnik's main municipal cemetery and, at the same time, a cluster of separate burial grounds belonging to different religious and national communities. The land is owned by the City of Dubrovnik and managed by the municipal company Boninovo d.o.o. The cemetery is protected by the Croatian Ministry of Culture, which underlines its value as a heritage site.

How did it come about?

The Boninovo area was once home to summer estates of Dubrovnik's nobles and wealthy citizens. During the Russian-Montenegrin siege of Dubrovnik in 1806, the countryside around the city was devastated and many villas in Boninovo were burnt. Cemeteries were later laid out on these former properties. The Orthodox section was created in the garden of one of the ruined villas, and the chapel of the municipal cemetery was rebuilt on another burnt villa. The layout still carries a trace of the old suburban villa landscape.

Who is buried here?

The Orthodox section holds mostly Serbs, along with Montenegrins, Greeks and Russians. Among the Russians are many émigrés who left their homeland after the 1917 revolution and found refuge in Dubrovnik. For anyone interested in twentieth-century history, it is a telling trace of the Russian diaspora on the Adriatic.

The Jewish section

The Jewish cemetery at Boninovo is part of the complex and has roughly two hundred tombstones. Some were moved from the older Jewish cemetery, preserving the memory of a long-rooted community in the city. Sources give different founding dates for this section, placing it around the turn of the twentieth century. The property was nationalised in 1958 but kept its status as a historical landmark. Dubrovnik's Jewish community is among the oldest in the region, so this burial ground matters well beyond the local level.

How to visit

Boninovo is not a typical ticketed attraction with a set route. It is a working cemetery, so respect is expected: quiet dress and behaviour, no loud conversation, and no photographing of funeral attendees. It is best to explore each section in turn, noticing the differences in the form of the gravestones, the inscriptions and the symbolism. Latin, Cyrillic and Hebrew lettering reflect distinct traditions that coexisted in one city for decades.

Frequently asked questions

Is Boninovo Cemetery open to tourists? It is a working municipal cemetery, so visitors are welcome as long as they keep the dignity of the place and avoid disturbing ceremonies.

Who is buried here? Dubrovnik residents of several faiths: Catholics, Orthodox Christians (including Serbs, Montenegrins, Greeks and Russian émigrés) and members of the former Jewish community.

Is the cemetery a protected monument? Yes. It is under the protection of the Croatian Ministry of Culture, and the Jewish section holds historical landmark status.

What is the link between Boninovo and the 1806 siege? Many summer villas in the area burned during the siege, and cemeteries were later established on some of the burnt estates.

Who manages the cemetery? It belongs to the City of Dubrovnik and is run by Boninovo d.o.o.