Szczecin Central Cemetery

Szczecin Central Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Poland and the third largest in Europe, after those in Hamburg and Manchester. Its more than 172 hectares (425 acres) form a vast landscaped park with tree-lined avenues, fountains, streams and around 415 species of trees and shrubs, framing historic tombs, chapels and memorials. It's a place of remembrance, but also one of Szczecin's most beautiful green spaces – and a fascinating record of the city's German and Polish history.

Where it is

Szczecin (pronounced roughly "SHCHEH-cheen") is in northwest Poland, about 150 km (93 mi) from Berlin – two hours by car or regional train. The cemetery's Main Gate is on ul. Ku Słońcu in the Gumieńce district, a few kilometers west of the city center. The easiest way there is by tram to the "Cmentarz Centralny" stop at the Main Gate.

History

By 1900 the booming German port of Stettin needed a new burial ground. City architect Wilhelm Meyer-Schwartau designed it, taking inspiration from Hamburg's famous Ohlsdorf Cemetery, and it opened in December 1901. Garden designer Georg Hannig, its first director, gave it its final form by 1918. Until 1945 it was the German Hauptfriedhof; after the war, when the city became Polish, it continued as Szczecin's main cemetery. More than 300,000 people are buried here. The cemetery has been a listed heritage site since 1986.

What to see

• the Neo-Romanesque Main Gate (1901–1903), rebuilt after WWII and restored in 2008;
• the main chapel with a fountain basin in front;
• the war cemetery on the main axis, with 3,379 soldiers – 367 Polish and 3,012 Soviet;
• the Brotherhood of Arms Monument, the Katyn Cross and memorials to Siberian deportees and the December 1970 protests;
• "Mother Earth", a 1921 sculpture by the German Expressionist Ernst Barlach (a 2011 copy);
• a lapidarium of old German gravestones, including that of mayor Hermann Haken and of the architect Meyer-Schwartau himself;
• the Jewish section on Lime Avenue, the only active Jewish cemetery in the region.

Notable burials include car manufacturer Bernhard Stoewer, Piotr Zaremba – the first Polish mayor after the war – sea captain Konstanty Maciejewicz, founder of the State Maritime School, singer Helena Majdaniec and Solidarity leader Marian Jurczyk. Szczecin's maritime identity shows in the memorial "To Those Who Did Not Return from the Sea" and a monument to the victims of the 1993 Jan Heweliusz ferry disaster. About 200 historic tombstones survive; since 2003 a local volunteer association has been restoring them.

Walking trails

Two marked trails were created in 2010: a historical trail with 21 stops starting at the Main Gate, and a tree trail with 32 information boards. The collection is so rich that the cemetery is often called an arboretum: look for Himalayan pine, Crimean linden, Canadian hemlock, ponderosa pine, Japanese larch, Korean fir and American tulip trees. Allow 1.5–2 hours for a relaxed walk along the main avenues, or half a day for both trails. Fall is spectacular, when the park looks like a botanical garden in gold and red.

Practical information (as of October 2026)

• Address: ul. Ku Słońcu 125a, Szczecin; managed by the municipal services company ZUK.
• Admission: free.
• Opening hours: we could not confirm current gate hours – check cmentarze.szczecin.pl or ask the cemetery office.
• It is an active cemetery: keep quiet, give way to funerals and don't step on graves. Information boards are in Polish.

Winter and All Saints' Day: in winter, visit in daylight – days are short and side paths can be icy. Around November 1–2, hundreds of thousands of people visit, the street by the Main Gate may be closed to cars and public transport runs on a special timetable. It's not ideal for sightseeing, though the evening sea of candles is unforgettable.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes – especially if you enjoy historic cemeteries like Vienna's Zentralfriedhof or Hamburg's Ohlsdorf. Combine it with Jasne Błonia and Kasprowicz Park, about 3 km away.