hřbitov Skorkov

Hřbitov Skorkov is a former churchyard cemetery in Skorkov, a village in the Mladá Boleslav district of the Central Bohemian Region, set on the banks of the Jizera River roughly halfway between Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav and Benátky nad Jizerou. Although the cemetery itself no longer functions, its story is closely tied to the neighboring Church of St. John the Baptist, the oldest surviving building in the village.

Why was the cemetery built next to the church?

In historical Bohemia, parish cemeteries were almost always laid out right beside the church they served, and Skorkov followed the same pattern. The church itself is first documented in 1359, so the adjoining cemetery likely dates from around that time or shortly after. The building suffered heavy damage during the Thirty Years' War and was only partially rebuilt after 1690. A bell tower was added in 1698, and the church received its current appearance during a renovation completed in 1873.

Why did the cemetery stop being used?

The churchyard cemetery in Skorkov was eventually abolished, a fate shared by many small village cemeteries across Bohemia once larger burial grounds were established elsewhere in the community, often for reasons of space or hygiene. Little remains on the ground from the original cemetery today. Its most significant surviving trace is the ossuary standing right next to the church.

What can visitors see there today?

Inside the ossuary stands a Renaissance-style altar dedicated to the Virgin Mary, bearing an inscription dated 1666 that names its donor as Susanna Maria, Countess von Luestein. This altar is now the single most valuable object connected to the former cemetery and the main reason the site draws visitors interested in regional history and sacred architecture. Together, the church, the site of the former cemetery, and the ossuary form a small but coherent religious complex at the heart of the village.

How to visit and what to expect

Skorkov is part of a municipality made up of three parts — Skorkov, Podbrahy, and Otradovice — set in a quiet stretch of countryside along the Jizera, away from major tourist routes. A visit here tends to be modest in scale; it pairs naturally with a look inside the Church of St. John the Baptist itself and a walk along the riverside meadows nearby. For anyone tracing the sacred heritage of the Mladá Boleslav district, this is a small but genuine stop worth including on a longer route.

Frequently asked questions

Is the cemetery in Skorkov still in use? No, the former churchyard cemetery was abolished and burials no longer take place there.

What survives from the original cemetery? Mainly the ossuary next to the Church of St. John the Baptist, which houses a Renaissance-style altar of the Virgin Mary dated 1666.

Who funded the altar in the ossuary? According to its inscription, the donor was Susanna Maria, Countess von Luestein.

How old is the church the cemetery once stood beside? The church is first recorded in 1359, making it the oldest preserved building in Skorkov.

Is it worth combining a visit with other nearby sights? Yes — Skorkov sits close to the Jizera River, between Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav and Benátky nad Jizerou, making it easy to fold into a longer regional sightseeing route.