Landmarks

Mater Dolorosa cemetery

Mater Dolorosa Cemetery in Bytom is a historic necropolis where the city’s story is preserved in its avenues, family chapels and tombstones. The older section, Mater Dolorosa I at 71 Piekarska Street, was established in 1868 and retains its historic layout of eight quarters, mature trees and the neo-Gothic Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows.

The chapel and funerary art

The centre of Mater Dolorosa I is the cemetery chapel built in 1881–1882 to a design by Vienna architect Hugo Heer and funded by Julianna Garus. Its brick neo-Gothic form is marked by a tower, steep roof and pointed-arch details. In the western part of the cemetery, look for historic family chapels and mausoleums, including the Garus chapel from 1880, the Schostak chapel from 1895 and the Hakuba and Goetzler mausoleums from around the turn of the 20th century.

A place of Bytom memory

The cemetery is the resting place of many people important to Bytom and Silesia, including priests, doctors, lawyers, artists, athletes and community activists. In 1987, conservation protection was extended to the whole historic complex: its layout, fence, mature trees, chapel, mausoleums and tombstones.

Practical information

This is an active cemetery, not a museum. The parish regulations list opening hours of 7:30–20:00, and until dusk from 1 December to 31 March. The cemetery office at 71 Piekarska Street is open Monday–Friday from 11:00 to 14:30. You can combine the visit with a walk through central Bytom and a ride on historic tram line 38.