hřbitov Charvatce

Charvatce Cemetery is a small, still-active burial ground located behind the village of Charvatce, along the road leading to Radešín, in the northwestern part of the Czech Republic. It rarely appears on tourist maps, but for residents of the surrounding villages it remains an important place of remembrance and a familiar landmark in the local landscape.

Where exactly is the cemetery located?

The cemetery sits slightly apart from the village core of Charvatce itself, on the route connecting it to Radešín. This kind of placement — away from dense settlement — was typical of cemeteries established in the 19th century, when sanitary regulations began pushing burial grounds away from village centers and parish churches.

How did this cemetery come about?

The current cemetery was founded in 1830. Before that date, residents were buried directly around the local church. As the population grew and sanitary rules changed, a separate burial site away from the built-up area was laid out. Since then, the cemetery has served as the main burial place for the whole surrounding micro-region.

Who is the cemetery meant to serve?

It functions as a shared cemetery for several neighboring communities: Charvatce, Martiněves, Pohořice, Radešín, Mšené-lázně, and Vrbici. This model of one shared cemetery serving a cluster of small villages was common in the Czech countryside, since a single hamlet rarely had the resources to maintain its own burial ground and chapel.

What does the surrounding enclosure look like?

The grounds are enclosed by a brick wall on the north, east, and south sides, while a metal fence with an entrance gate runs along the west side, facing the road. This arrangement — a solid wall on three sides paired with a lighter, more representative fence at the entrance — is characteristic of rural cemeteries from this period, where the gate served as the most visible, "front-facing" element of the whole layout.

Has the cemetery been renovated recently?

Yes. In 2015, the entrance was completely reconstructed, and work on repairing the rest of the fence and wall has continued since then. This shows that the site is not neglected but is being systematically maintained by the municipality.

What can be found within the cemetery grounds?

The centerpiece of the site is a Neo-Gothic chapel dedicated to St. Prokop (St. Procopius), built in 1911. It underwent a partial restoration between 1997 and 1998. Both the chapel and the cemetery belong to the municipality of Martiněves, which is planning further reconstruction of the chapel so it can serve as a funeral reception building — a space for farewell ceremonies before burial.

Frequently asked questions

Is Charvatce Cemetery still in use? Yes, it continues to function as an active burial site serving several nearby villages.

Who owns the cemetery? The cemetery, together with the St. Prokop chapel, belongs to the municipality of Martiněves.

What makes this cemetery architecturally notable? Mainly its 1911 Neo-Gothic chapel, along with the brick wall enclosing three sides and the metal gate facing the road.

Is it worth visiting while exploring the region? The site is primarily of local and historical-sepulchral interest — it may appeal to visitors looking for modest, authentic examples of rural sacred architecture from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.