Central cemetery in Pardubice

The Central Cemetery in Pardubice is the city's main burial ground, located roughly 2.5 kilometers south of Pardubice Castle in the Zelené Předměstí district (the Nové Jesenčany area), on Pod Břízkami street. Spanning more than 6 hectares, it is known less for its rows of graves than for its remarkable crematorium, one of the most significant pieces of 20th-century architecture in this part of the Czech Republic.

How did the cemetery come to be here?

Pardubice's burial history goes back much further than this particular site. The town's first cemetery was established in 1507 alongside the construction of the Church of St. John the Baptist. Its founder, Vilém of Pernštejn, ordered that all Christians be buried there regardless of denomination — a rare display of religious tolerance for the era. Things changed during the Josephine reforms: on November 16, 1784, regional authorities demanded a new cemetery be built outside the built-up part of town. A suitable plot wasn't found until 1883, near Nové Jesenčany on the southern edge of the municipal boundary. The new cemetery was designed by professor Antonín Barborka.

What makes this place architecturally significant?

The cemetery's centerpiece is its crematorium, built between 1921 and 1923 to a design by the then-young architect Pavel Janák. The building blends motifs drawn from Slavic mythology with the forms of early Christian basilicas, and it stands as an important example of Czech Rondocubism — the national architectural style that emerged in the newly founded Czechoslovakia after 1918. Alongside the crematorium, an urn grove was created to a design by architect Karel Řepa, offering a quiet, park-like setting for urn burials. Owing to its artistic value, the crematorium building is now protected as a national cultural monument.

Does this place have a connection to film?

Yes, and an unusual one. In 1968, director Juraj Herz filmed his cult classic "The Cremator" (Spalovač mrtvol) inside the Pardubice crematorium, a film that went on to attract international festival attention. The building's striking Art Deco interior, dense with symbolism, suited the film's unsettling atmosphere so well that its sets became permanently etched into the history of Czech cinema.

What is the role of the nearby Jewish cemetery?

The northeastern, separately fenced part of the complex is occupied by the New Jewish Cemetery in Pardubice, also founded in 1883. It remains active today and forms a distinct — though physically adjoining — section of the city's overall burial grounds.

Why is it worth a visit?

The Central Cemetery in Pardubice is not a conventional tourist stop, but for anyone interested in 20th-century architecture, funerary art history, or offbeat film locations, it offers something genuinely distinctive. The combination of more than five centuries of burial history in the town, avant-garde Rondocubist architecture, and an unexpected cinematic footnote makes it far more than an ordinary municipal cemetery.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Central Cemetery in Pardubice located? On Pod Břízkami street in the Zelené Předměstí district (Nové Jesenčany), about 2.5 km south of Pardubice Castle.

Who designed the crematorium at the cemetery? Architect Pavel Janák, built between 1921 and 1923; the adjoining urn grove was designed by Karel Řepa.

What architectural style does the crematorium represent? Rondocubism, a national style combining Slavic motifs with the forms of early Christian basilicas.

What famous film was shot inside the crematorium? Juraj Herz's 1968 cult classic "The Cremator" (Spalovač mrtvol).

Is there also a Jewish cemetery on the grounds? Yes, its northeastern section holds the still-active New Jewish Cemetery, founded in 1883.