Cemetery in Braník

Branický Cemetery (Czech: Branický hřbitov) is a municipal burial ground in the Prague district of Braník, part of the administrative area of Prague 4, located on Vrbova street. It is a working local cemetery that has served the neighborhood since the late 19th century and remains largely off the typical tourist trail.

Getting there

Braník sits on the right bank of the Vltava, south of central Prague, on the way toward Modřany. The cemetery lies on Vrbova street, in a quiet residential part of the district, far from the usual sightseeing routes around the castle, Old Town, and Charles Bridge. It's a good stop for travelers curious about everyday, residential Prague rather than the postcard center.

Founding and history

The cemetery was established in 1888, when the Braník municipality purchased private land to create its own burial ground. Before that, residents of Braník had to bury their dead at the cemetery of St. Michael's Church in Podolí, a long and difficult journey for funeral processions given the terrain and distance. Founding a local cemetery solved that problem and gave Braník an independent place to lay its dead to rest.

Layout and size

The cemetery covers 6.2 hectares and is divided into an old section and two newer parts added as the surrounding neighborhood grew. This kind of expansion is typical of cemeteries founded in the 19th century, which often grew in stages alongside the population of the area they served.

A distinctive feature — graves of suicides

One notable characteristic of Branický Cemetery is the unusually high number of people who died by suicide buried here. This is linked to the nearby Branické skály (Braník cliffs) above the Vltava, which for many years were a place where people took their own lives. Because the Braník cemetery was the closest burial ground, their bodies were brought here. A separate section was set aside for these burials, and it still serves that role today.

Historical graves

Among those buried here is Václav Sedláček, who was shot during an anti-Nazi demonstration in Prague on October 28, 1939, the anniversary of the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic, at Wenceslas Square. In the southern part of the cemetery there is also an honorary grave dedicated to those who died in May 1945, during the final days of the war and the Prague uprising.

When to visit

The cemetery can be visited year-round, open to visitors during regular cemetery hours as an active burial site. In autumn, especially around All Souls' Day, the atmosphere is particularly noticeable as local families come to tend graves. It is a quieter, more intimate place than Prague's larger cemeteries, and worth a visit for anyone interested in the district's 20th-century history.

Frequently asked questions

When was Branický Cemetery founded? In 1888, when the Braník municipality bought land to create its own cemetery so residents no longer had to bury their dead in distant Podolí.

How large is the cemetery? It covers 6.2 hectares and consists of an old section plus two newer parts.

Why are so many suicides buried here? Because of the nearby Branické skály cliffs above the Vltava, historically a place where many people took their own lives — the Braník cemetery was the closest burial ground for them.

Which historical figures are buried here? Václav Sedláček, shot during an anti-Nazi demonstration in 1939, and those commemorated in the honorary grave for victims of May 1945.