Old Podgórze Cemetery
Kraków Cemeteries
The Old Podgórze Cemetery on Lasota Hill (Podgórze district) was probably founded between 1784 and 1794, when Emperor Joseph II ordered cemeteries moved out of built-up areas. It was closed in 1900, leaving room only for people of merit to Podgórze and for family tombs. In 1942 the Germans levelled about a quarter of it, and road widening in the 1970s caused further destruction. Of 1.5 hectares, about 38 ares survive. Edward Dembowski, shot in 1846 during the procession to Podgórze, rests here, as does Wojciech Bednarski, founder of the park that bears his name. Since 2008 the cemetery has belonged to the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE).
History
The Old Podgórze Cemetery on Lasota Hill was most probably founded between 1784, when Emperor Joseph II ordered cemeteries to be moved away from inhabited areas, and 1794, the date of the oldest known inscription. A mortuary was built in 1838, and in 1886 it was decided to use the renovated tomb of the Zdzieński family, owners of Płaszów, as the cemetery chapel. In April 1900 the cemetery was closed, with burials still allowed for people who had rendered services to Podgórze and for those with family tombs. In 1942 the Germans levelled about a quarter of the site with bulldozers, and the greatest losses came with the expansion of today's Powstańców Śląskich Avenue in the 1970s. Of the original 1.5 ha, only 38 ares survived. Buried here are Edward Dembowski, killed on 27 February 1846 in a procession to Podgórze, Wojciech Bednarski, founder of the park, the painter Wojciech Eljasz-Radzikowski and Emil Serkowski, mayor and honorary citizen of Podgórze.
Did you know?
Among those buried here is Franciszek Maryewski, the last mayor of Podgórze. At a meeting on the Vistula bridge on 4 July 1915, he sealed the merger of Podgórze with Kraków with a handshake with the Mayor of Kraków, Juliusz Leo.