Hostivař cemetery

Hostivař Cemetery sits on the eastern edge of Prague, in the Hostivař district (Prague 15), on K Jezeru street. It's easy to miss on a typical sightseeing itinerary, but the site layers nineteenth-century history with a genuinely modern extension, making it worth a stop even for visitors with no grave to find.

How did the cemetery come to be here?

Hostivař's original burial ground stood right next to the Church of the Beheading of St John the Baptist, in the middle of the old village. It was shut down in 1784 under a decree from Emperor Joseph II, part of a broader Habsburg sanitary reform that banned burials inside inhabited settlements. A replacement cemetery went up on a hillside above the village in the first half of the 19th century, and some headstones were physically moved there from the old churchyard plot. The site was substantially rebuilt in 1897: a perimeter wall went up, a large cast-iron cross was installed, and the foundation stone was laid for a mortuary chapel. Another expansion followed after 1908.

What's on the grounds today?

The cemetery is split into two sections, both holding Art Nouveau tombstones and sculpture from the turn of the 20th century — the reason the place reads more like an open-air gallery than a typical municipal graveyard. Older monuments relocated from the original churchyard sit in the earlier section. A separate area within the grounds holds the graves of people killed during the Prague Uprising of May 1945. Notable burials include Antonín Švehla, a Czechoslovak politician who served as prime minister of interwar Czechoslovakia, army colonel Bohuslav Mráz, and priest Xaver Dvořák.

A new columbarium and public park next door

In recent years, the city of Prague added a new columbarium and a scattering meadow directly beside the historic cemetery, still on K Jezeru street, complete with public restrooms. The Prague 15 district followed up with a small park around the extension, giving locals somewhere to walk and sit rather than only passing through on the way to a grave. Together, the additions turn a purely functional cemetery into a quieter piece of neighborhood green space.

The Path of Personalities and local history boards

Information panels around the site trace the history of Hostivař and neighboring Horní Měcholupy back — according to the project's own framing — to Celtic times. A dedicated "Path of Personalities" adds panels on individuals who shaped the area's development, turning a cemetery visit into a short, self-guided history lesson about this corner of Prague.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Hostivař Cemetery located? In the Hostivař district (Prague 15), on K Jezeru street, in eastern Prague.

Who is buried at the cemetery? Notable graves include Antonín Švehla, colonel Bohuslav Mráz, and priest Xaver Dvořák, along with victims of the 1945 Prague Uprising.

Is there a columbarium at the site? Yes — a modern columbarium and scattering meadow were added next to the historic cemetery in recent years, alongside a park built by the Prague 15 district.

How old is the current cemetery? It was founded in the first half of the 19th century on a hillside above the village and substantially rebuilt in 1897, when the wall, cast-iron cross, and mortuary chapel foundation were added.