Military cemetery

The military cemetery of České Budějovice is a defunct burial ground whose history stretches back to the late 18th century. Although no gravestones or walls remain today, the site still carries the memory of the soldiers who once rested there.

Where was the cemetery located?

The cemetery lay south of the city centre, on Plavská street, close to the southern railway station. It covered a relatively modest area of around 1,345 square metres. Today the site functions as public green space, and passers-by rarely realize it was once the final resting place of hundreds of soldiers.

Who founded it, and when?

The cemetery was established in 1797 on the initiative of the city council, with the consent of the military administration, and was consecrated on 29 June 1797. From the outset it was intended as a burial site for military personnel, both rank-and-file soldiers and officers. It was originally laid out with 220 burial plots.

Who was buried there?

Over the cemetery's more than a century and a half of existence, soldiers from a wide range of military formations and historical periods were laid to rest there. They included troops of the Austrian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, as well as soldiers of Czechoslovakia. During the Second World War, soldiers of the German armed forces and the Red Army were also buried there. This makes the site a distinctive record of the region's turbulent history and the shifting political alignments of Central Europe across the 19th and 20th centuries.

During the interwar period, 68 soldiers were buried at the cemetery, with further burials continuing during and after the Second World War. The last burial took place on 26 May 1950, meaning the cemetery remained in use well into the mid-20th century.

Why did the cemetery cease to exist?

The site's fate was sealed by a 1957 decision: as part of the construction of Border Guard barracks, the three perimeter walls, the central cross, and the gravestones were removed. Notably, the remains of the buried soldiers were never exhumed and stayed in the ground. The terrain was subsequently levelled and, over time, turned into a municipal park.

Has anything of the cemetery survived?

Yes. In 2018, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the site, commemorating its former purpose and the soldiers who rest there. It is the only visible trace today of a cemetery that, for more than 150 years, served as a burial ground for military personnel from different armies and eras.

Frequently asked questions

Can any gravestones still be seen at the former cemetery site? No, all gravestones and the perimeter walls were removed in 1957 during the construction of the Border Guard barracks. The only remaining trace is a memorial plaque unveiled in 2018.

Where exactly was the cemetery located? On Plavská street, south of the centre of České Budějovice, near the southern railway station.

Were the soldiers' remains moved elsewhere? No, the remains of the soldiers buried there were never exhumed and remain beneath the present-day park.

How long was the cemetery in use? From its consecration in 1797 until the last burial in 1950 - a total of 153 years.