Hřbitov Bystřany

Hřbitov Bystřany is a small village cemetery located in the Světice section of Bystřany, in the Teplice district of the Ústí nad Labem region in northern Czechia. Enclosed by a fence and divided into three sections, this quiet burial ground still serves the local community today.

Where exactly is the cemetery located?

The cemetery stands at Na Lišce 407 in Bystřany. The municipality itself was formerly known as Horušany, and appears in older German-language records under the name Wisterschan. The Světice part of the municipality (German: Zwettnitz) is a separate cadastral area covering roughly 3.39 square kilometres, and it is within this area that the cemetery lies.

What is the history behind this place?

Settlement in the area goes back centuries — the first mention of Horušany dates to 1238, while the earliest written record using the name Bystřany appears at the beginning of the 16th century. Real growth, however, came only in the second half of the 19th century, driven by industrial expansion. In 1864, entrepreneur Karel Grohmann opened a branch of his dyeing works here, specializing in the so-called Turkish red dyeing process, and in 1905 a cotton spinning mill was built in the area. This industrial growth brought new residents to the village, which in turn increased the need to maintain and expand the local burial grounds.

What does the cemetery look like today?

The grounds are fenced and split into three distinct sections, which helps with orientation and the ongoing management of graves. The cemetery continues to be maintained by the Bystřany municipality, and genealogical databases record more than 130 documented burial sites here. It's worth noting that a separate historical monument, a Jewish cemetery, also exists in the wider Bystřany area — a distinct site that should not be confused with this municipal cemetery in Světice.

Does this place hold any regional significance?

Modest as it is, the Bystřany cemetery reflects the long settlement history of this corner of the Ústí nad Labem region — from the medieval origins of the village, through the textile-industry boom of the 19th and early 20th centuries, up to the present day. For genealogists and anyone tracing family roots in the Teplice area, it holds real documentary value: the surviving graves and inscriptions help piece together the stories of families once connected to the local textile industry.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Hřbitov Bystřany located? At Na Lišce 407, in the Světice part of Bystřany, Teplice district.

Is Světice a separate village? No — it's a cadastral part of the Bystřany municipality, formerly known by its German name Zwettnitz, covering about 3.39 square kilometres.

How many graves are there at the cemetery? Genealogical records document more than 130 burial sites on the grounds.

Is there another cemetery in Bystřany? Yes, there is also a separate Jewish cemetery in the area, which is a distinct historical monument.

Where does the name Bystřany come from? The village was formerly called Horušany (first mentioned in 1238), while the name Bystřany appears in written sources from the early 16th century onward.