Miletínský hřbitov

Miletínský hřbitov is the municipal cemetery of Miletín, laid out in the mid-19th century on raised ground called Na Chrasti at the eastern edge of town. It remains an active burial ground today and also forms a stop on the educational trail dedicated to Karel Jaromír Erben, the writer born in Miletín.

Why did the town need a new cemetery?

For generations, the dead of Miletín were buried around the parish church and later at a graveyard known as "U roklí," near a ravine along the road to Chroustov. By the late 1850s and early 1860s, town officials judged that site unsuitable — it was cramped and raised health concerns — and decided to buy land on the eastern outskirts from a local miller, František Fähnrich. The new plot was enclosed with a stone wall, and construction was finished in October 1865 at a cost of 5,000 guldens. The central cemetery cross, decorated with images of Christ and the Virgin Mary, was consecrated on 13 November 1865, the same day the first burial took place. The old cemetery by the ravine was sold off as farmland in 1874, and some of its gravestones and remains were moved to the new grounds.

How is the cemetery laid out?

Toward the end of the 19th century, the local gravedigger Filip Šubrt divided the grounds into eight sections and introduced a proper burial register. The first two sections were reserved for children's graves, with capacity for around 460 burials, while the remaining six were set aside for adults, holding close to 880 graves. This division brought order to the cemetery for decades to come.

What can visitors see today?

The most striking structure on site is the cemetery chapel, built between 1932 and 1933. It was funded by Božena Erbenová, née Šubrtová, a native of Miletín, in memory of her late husband Karel Erben, a senior postal official in Prague. The building work was overseen by Josef Novotný, and the whole project cost 100,000 crowns. Beneath the chapel's altar lies a crypt holding the remains of both spouses. Notably, Erbenová had already donated a comparable sum back in 1928, that time toward new church bells.

The cemetery also holds the graves of several local figures, among them Jan Nepomuk Lhota (1811–1890), a historian of Miletín, and the poet Alois Hlavatý (1906–2001). In the southeastern corner of the perimeter wall stands a wooden cross bearing an inscription from 1866, commemorating seven Prussian soldiers and one Austrian hussar who died that year. The grounds also include a war grave of a Soviet soldier who died in May 1945, along with graves of other people who lost their lives amid the events of that period.

Frequently asked questions

When was Miletínský hřbitov built? Construction was completed in October 1865, and the central cross was consecrated on 13 November 1865, the same day as the first burial.

Why was the cemetery moved to a new site? The earlier cemetery, "U roklí" near a ravine, was considered poorly located and inadequate on health and space grounds, so the town chose a new plot on its eastern outskirts.

What is inside the cemetery chapel? The 1932–1933 chapel contains a crypt with the remains of Božena and Karel Erben, the couple who funded its construction.

Are there any war graves at the cemetery? Yes — a wooden cross from 1866 commemorates Prussian soldiers and an Austrian hussar, and there is also the grave of a Soviet soldier who died in 1945.