Historic Cemeteries in Poland Worth Visiting



Historic cemeteries in Poland worth visiting include Stare Powązki and the Okopowa Jewish Cemetery in Warsaw, Rakowicki and Remuh in Kraków, and the Museum of Cemetery Art in Wrocław. Old cemeteries are some of the best-preserved open-air museums in Poland: sculpture, funerary architecture and the history of cities and families, all written in stone. They are also places of remembrance, and most are still active burial grounds. This guide therefore does two things: it tells you what is worth seeing and how to visit with respect.

We chose ten cemeteries that have their own pages on tripto.pl and added short notes on two more. We name only graves and facts that can be checked in the sources behind our pages. Hours and prices are as of October 2026, and it is always worth confirming them before you travel, because rules often change around 1 and 2 November.

Quick choice: ten cemeteries in one table

Cemetery	City	Founded	Entry and hours (as of October 2026)
Stare Powązki	Warsaw	1790	free; gates 7:00–20:00; changes possible on 1–2 November
Okopowa Jewish Cemetery	Warsaw	1806	ticket 20 zł; Mon–Thu 10:00–17:00, Fri 9:00–13:00, Sun 9:00–16:00, closed Saturdays
Rakowicki Cemetery	Kraków	1803 (first burial)	free; October–March 7:00–18:00, April–September 7:00–20:00
Remuh Cemetery	Kraków	1551	Sun–Fri, winter 10:00–16:00, summer 10:00–18:00; closed on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays
Cemetery of Distinguished Wielkopolans	Poznań	1808	free; check the gate hours before you go
Old Cemetery	Łódź	1855	free; November–March 8:00–17:00
Jewish Cemetery on Bracka Street	Łódź	1892	paid entry from Zmienna Street; Sun–Fri, hours from the administrator
Museum of Cemetery Art	Wrocław	1856	20 zł (reduced 15 zł); from 1 November daily 9:00–16:00
Central Cemetery	Szczecin	1901	free; check gate hours with the administrator
Pęksowy Brzyzek	Zakopane	1851	outside Mass times; the parish charges a conservation fee

Warsaw: Stare Powązki and Okopowa

Powązki Cemetery was founded on 4 November 1790 on land donated by the Szymanowski family, outside the city as it was then. Today it covers 43 hectares and has about 70,000 gravestones. Since 2014, together with the neighbouring cemeteries of other faiths, it has been a Monument of History. Walk the Avenue of the Distinguished, laid out in 1925, where Władysław Reymont was the first to be buried; the aviators Franciszek Żwirko and Stanisław Wigura and the singer Jan Kiepura also rest here. The oldest part is the catacombs by the church of St Charles Borromeo. A collection for restoring historic graves, started in 1975 by Jerzy Waldorff, is held here every year on 1 and 2 November. For a first visit allow 1.5–2 hours.

Okopowa Jewish Cemetery is one of the largest Jewish necropolises in Europe, founded in 1806 and covering about 33 hectares. It lies right next to Powązki, so the two are easy to combine in one day. Ludwik Zamenhof, creator of Esperanto, Isaac Leib Peretz and Marek Edelman are buried here. According to the Jewish community there are 42 ohels, mausoleums over the graves of tzaddikim and rabbis. In 1943 the Germans blew up the cemetery buildings, yet the cemetery survived, and it is the only Jewish cemetery in Warsaw that still takes burials. A ticket is required, and men must cover their heads, non-Jewish visitors included. The cemetery is closed on Saturdays, on Jewish holidays and on selected state holidays, so confirm your date by phone or email.

Kraków: Rakowicki and Remuh

Rakowicki Cemetery was established in 1801–1802, after the authorities banned burials at churches in the city centre. The first funeral took place in January 1803. Today the cemetery has about 75,000 graves, and at its centre stands the neoclassical Chapel of the Resurrection from 1861–1862. Jan Matejko, Wisława Szymborska and Helena Modrzejewska are buried here, as are the parents and brother of John Paul II. The military section is War Cemetery No. 388. Plots are marked with letters and numbers, so use the grave locator on the website of the Municipal Cemeteries Authority before your visit. The cemetery is about 1.5 km from the Main Square and close to the railway station.

Remuh Cemetery on Szeroka Street is under one hectare, yet it is among the oldest surviving Jewish cemeteries in Europe. Burials took place here from 1551, and the oldest tombstone dates from 1552. During the war the Germans turned the site into a dump, and only a dozen or so tombstones survived. In 1959 archaeologists uncovered several hundred matzevot under the ground, and they were set up again. Broken fragments were assembled into a mosaic in the wall known as the Wailing Wall. Pilgrims still pray at the grave of Rabbi Moses Isserles, known as the Remuh (d. 1572). The entrance leads through the courtyard of the Remuh Synagogue, and 30–45 minutes is enough for a calm walk.

Poznań: St Adalbert's Hill

The Cemetery of Distinguished Wielkopolans is the oldest surviving necropolis in Poznań. It was created under an agreement of 1808, and the oldest surviving tombstone dates from 1813. In 1948 it was decided that it would become the resting place of distinguished people from Wielkopolska. Today, on about 2 hectares, there are 868 burials in 577 graves. Gen. Stanisław Taczak, the first commander of the Greater Poland Uprising, and Stanisław Mikołajczyk, prime minister of the Polish government in exile, are buried here. Next door, the church of St Adalbert has housed the Crypt of the Distinguished since 1923, with the grave of Józef Wybicki, author of the words of the national anthem. The crypt is opened on selected days, so ask the parish. The site is a slope with steps, which is awkward for wheelchairs and pushchairs. The Old Market Square is a 10–15 minute walk away.

Łódź: two cemeteries, two stories of the city

The Old Cemetery on Ogrodowa Street was founded in 1855 for three faiths: Catholic, Evangelical and Orthodox. It covers about 21 hectares, and since 2015 it has been part of the Monument of History “Łódź – the multicultural landscape of an industrial city”. The most valuable monument is the neo-Gothic tomb chapel of Karol Scheibler from 1885–1888, usually closed to visitors. Also look for the Heinzel mausoleum with its green dome and the Gojżewski chapel built into the wall between the Catholic and Orthodox sections. Every 1 November since 1995 a collection for saving historic gravestones has been held here.

The Jewish Cemetery on Bracka Street opened in 1892. It covers about 40 hectares and more than 160,000 people are buried here, from factory owners to victims of the Litzmannstadt ghetto. In the Ghetto Field rest more than 40,000 people who died of hunger, disease and exhaustion. The best-known monument is the mausoleum of Izrael Poznański, regarded as the largest Jewish tomb in the world. Since 2015 the cemetery has been a Monument of History. Visitors enter from Zmienna Street, and a fee applies. Men should cover their heads, and the side paths are uneven. A memorial trail links the cemetery with the Radegast station.

Wrocław: the Museum of Cemetery Art

The Old Jewish Cemetery on Ślężna Street is the only place on this list that has operated as a museum since 1988, a branch of the Wrocław City Museum. The community bought the land in 1856, and the last burial took place in 1942. On 4.6 hectares about 12,000 gravestones survive, from traditional matzevot to tombs resembling ancient temples. Look for the graves of Ferdinand Lassalle, Heinrich Graetz, Ferdinand Cohn and the parents of Edith Stein. From 1 November to the end of March the museum is open daily 9:00–16:00. It is not adapted for wheelchair users and does not allow photo shoots.

Szczecin: the largest cemetery in Poland

The Central Cemetery opened in December 1901. Its designer, Wilhelm Meyer-Schwartau, took the Ohlsdorf cemetery in Hamburg as a model. On more than 172 hectares grow about 415 species of trees and shrubs, and over 300,000 people are buried here. It is the largest cemetery in Poland. You can see the neo-Romanesque Main Gate, the main chapel, the war cemetery, the lapidarium and about 200 historic gravestones. Since 2010 there has been a historical trail with 21 stops and a dendrological path. Allow 1.5–2 hours for the main avenues. Take the tram to the stop “Cmentarz Centralny”. Around 1 and 2 November, Ku Słońcu Street is sometimes closed to cars.

Zakopane: Pęksowy Brzyzek

Pęksowy Brzyzek Cemetery was founded in 1851 by Fr Józef Stolarczyk and has been called the Cemetery of the Distinguished since 1931. Of about 500 graves, roughly half belong to people who deserved well of Zakopane, the Tatras and Podhale. The gate was designed by Stanisław Witkiewicz. You will find the symbolic grave of Witkacy, the graves of Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer, Tytus Chałubiński, Sabała and Kornel Makuszyński, and a wall with the names of the Tatra couriers. Many gravestone sculptures were made in the workshop of Władysław Hasior. The cemetery stands next to the Old Church of 1847, and you can see it all in an hour. The paths are steep and uneven, especially after rain.

Two more to note

The Old Cemetery in Tarnów was created after Emperor Joseph II’s edict of 1784, and the first recorded burial took place on 23 November 1788. On 3.7 hectares stand nearly 2,000 protected objects, including the neo-Romanesque Sanguszko chapel, usually closed. Mater Dolorosa Cemetery in Bytom, from 1868, is known as the Bytom Powązki. It has a neo-Gothic chapel from 1881–1882 and an avenue of family mausoleums, and it has been listed as a monument since 1987.

How to visit with respect

• These are active burial grounds. Keep quiet, do not step on graves and give way to funeral processions. Do not photograph ceremonies.
• Jewish cemeteries have their own rules. Men cover their heads and everyone dresses modestly. Do not touch the matzevot or sit on gravestones; the cemeteries are closed on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays. At the grave of the Remuh in Kraków, pilgrims leave pebbles and notes.
• Photos. You may photograph historic gravestones, but be mindful of mourners. The museum in Wrocław does not allow photo shoots.
• Footwear. Paths in older sections are uneven and slippery after rain, so wear comfortable shoes.
• Timing. Around 1 and 2 November the cemeteries are crowded. For a quiet look at the monuments, choose a weekday in autumn or spring. An evening among candles is a different, moving experience, but not the time for sightseeing with a camera. More on what is open on those days in our guide All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day 2026.

If legends interest you more than gravestones, read our article on ghosts in Polish castles, where we separate the stories from documented history.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the oldest cemetery in Poland?

Among the places described here, the oldest is the Remuh cemetery in Kraków, where burials took place from 1551. Among Christian cemeteries, the Old Cemetery in Tarnów dates from the late 1780s and, according to its administrator, is older than Powązki (founded in 1790) and Rakowicki.

Which is the largest cemetery in Poland?

The Central Cemetery in Szczecin, which covers more than 172 hectares. According to our page it is the third-largest necropolis in Europe, after the cemeteries in Hamburg and Manchester.

Do you pay to enter historic cemeteries?

Most municipal and parish cemeteries are free, for example Powązki, Rakowicki, the Old Cemetery in Łódź and the Central Cemetery in Szczecin. You buy tickets at Okopowa in Warsaw (20 zł), at the Museum of Cemetery Art in Wrocław (20 zł, reduced 15 zł) and at the Jewish cemetery in Łódź. At Pęksowy Brzyzek the parish charges a fee for conserving the gravestones.

What should I wear to a Jewish cemetery?

Dress modestly, and men, including non-Jewish visitors, must cover their heads. Do not eat or smoke in the cemetery, do not touch the matzevot and do not sit on gravestones. Photograph mourners and ceremonies only with permission.

Can I visit cemeteries on 1 November?

Christian cemeteries are open, but they are full of people and traffic around them changes. Jewish cemeteries follow their own calendars and may be closed, for example Okopowa on selected state holidays. Check the 2026 hours with the administrators.

How much time should I plan for one cemetery?

Smaller necropolises such as Remuh, Pęksowy Brzyzek and the Poznań hill can be seen in 30–60 minutes. For Rakowicki, Powązki, Okopowa, Bracka Street in Łódź and the Central Cemetery in Szczecin allow 1.5–2 hours, and for the full Szczecin cemetery up to half a day.

Want to keep the route of an autumn trip like this? Turn it into a “Your journey” poster and keep the map of the places you visited on your wall.