Drenova Central City Cemetery

Drenova Central City Cemetery (Gradsko groblje Drenova) is the largest municipal cemetery in Rijeka, Croatia, located in the Drenova district west of the city centre. It is laid out like a park, with plenty of greenery, and serves both as a burial ground and a quiet place to walk.

What is Drenova Central City Cemetery?

It is Rijeka's main municipal cemetery, run by the city company KD Kozala. Its coordinates are roughly 45.3594 N, 14.4225 E. In Croatia cemeteries play an important part in community life, especially around 1 November, All Saints' Day, when thousands of residents visit family graves and light candles.

What is there to see?

The cemetery is not known for grand historic monuments. Its strength is its park-like layout and varied vegetation, which KD Kozala highlights in guided walks held as part of the Week of Discovering Europe's Cemeteries. Among the few older structures is the All Saints chapel, dating from 1575, which once served the Drenova settlement.

A central cross stands at the heart of the grounds, and wreaths are laid there every year.

Veterans' Alley

Rijeka was among the first Croatian cities to set aside a separate Veterans' Alley in the cemetery, in 1991, for those killed in the Homeland War. It initially held 180 burial places, used until 2017, and has since been widened. Before All Saints' Day, delegations from the city and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County light candles and lay wreaths here.

Expansion

The city and KD Kozala have worked on new burial sites in fields G9 and G10. Once finished, the cemetery will gain more than a thousand new burial places.

Frequently asked questions

Is it a tourist attraction? It is more a place for quiet reflection than a sightseeing stop. You can see the greenery, the chapel and the Veterans' Alley while respecting the solemn setting.

When is it busiest? Around 1 November, All Saints' Day, when official ceremonies also take place at the cross and in the Veterans' Alley.

How should I behave? Dress modestly, keep your voice low, avoid photographing people at graves and stay out of closed sections.

Who runs the cemetery? The municipal company KD Kozala, which also manages Rijeka's other cemeteries.

Where is it? In the Drenova district of Rijeka, in the Kvarner region, a few kilometres from the city centre.

If you are exploring Rijeka, a visit here offers a look at how the city honours its dead and its war veterans, and a less touristy side of Kvarner.