Rakowicki Cemetery (English: ; ) is a historic

necropolis A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' (). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...

and a cultural heritage monument located on 26 Rakowicka Street in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. It lies within the Administrative District No. 1 ''Stare Miasto'' meaning "Old Town" – distinct from the

Kraków Old Town Kraków Old Town is the historic central area of Kraków, Poland.Ingrid GustafsonLet's Go: Eastern Europe Published by Macmillan, page 444. Let's Go Publications, 2008. It is one of the most famous old areas in Poland today and was the centre ...

situated further south. Founded at the beginning of the 19th century when the region was part of

Austrian Galicia The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, also known as Austrian Galicia or colloquially Austrian Poland, was a constituent possession of the Habsburg monarchy in the historical region of Galicia in Eastern Europe. The crown land was established ...

, the cemetery was expanded several times, and at present covers an area of about 42

hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...

. Many notable Cracovians, among them the parents of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

, are buried here. Gazeta Krakow.pl, October 29, 2008, A multilingual brochure available for the visitors, calle
"Zwiedzamy Cmentarz Rakowicki" (A visit to the Rakowicki Cemetery)
with a map describing a two-hour walk, is published by Zarząd Cmentarzy Komunalnych w Krakowie.

History

The Rakowicki Cemetery was set up in 1800–1802 at an estate in

Prądnik Czerwony Prądnik Czerwony is one of 18 districts of Kraków; known as Dzielnica III (District 3), located in the northern part of the city. The name ''Prądnik Czerwony'' comes from a village of same name (first mentioned in 1105) that is now a part of th ...

village, originally on an area of only 5.6 ha. It was first used in mid-January 1803. The new cemetery came into existence in relation to a public health-related government ban on burials in old church cemeteries within the city. The land was purchased for 1,150 zlotys from the monastery of the

Discalced Carmelites The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel () or the Order of Discalced Carmelites (; abbreviation, abbrev.: OCD; sometimes called in earlier times, ), is a Catho ...

of Czerna, and built with funds from the city and the surrounding villages (including some future

Districts of Kraków The city of Kraków is divided into 18 administrative districts, each with a degree of autonomy within the municipal government. The Polish name for such a district is ''dzielnica''. The oldest neighborhoods of Kraków were incorporated into the ...

): Rakowice,

and Biały, Olsza, Grzegórzki, Piaski, Bronowice, Czarna Village, Nowa Village,

Krowodrza Krowodrza is one of 18 districts of Kraków, located in the western part of the city. The name ''Krowodrza'' comes from a village of same name that is now a part of the district. According to the Central Statistical Office data, the district's ...

and Kawiory, all granted the right to bury their dead there. The first funeral took place on January 15, 1803, with the burial of an 18-year-old named Apolonia from the Lubowiecki family of Bursikowa estate. Karolina Grodziska
"Plan Cmentarza Rakowickiego,"
Gazeta.pl Krakow, 2002-10-30. In 1807, the first well was dug, and in 1812 the first big cross was built, paid for by public contributions. Rakowicki Cemetery was repeatedly enlarged over the years. The first expansion came in 1836 when 100% more land was bought from

Carmelite The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

friars for 5,000 zloty. The design of the new part of the cemetery was commissioned from architect Karol R. Kremer, head of the department of urban construction, who gave it the form of a city park. The surrounding wall was made using bricks and stones obtained from the demolished Church of All Saints. The newly built cemetery was blessed on November 2, 1840. The first

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

was erected in 1862, six years after the Austrian permit was issued. In 1863 the city purchased more land from Carmelite friars – and from Walery Rzewuski – on the west side of the cemetery, and buried there victims of an epidemic of 1866. In 1877 the new administrative centre was built along with the mortuary. The next expansion took place ten years later, in the autumn of 1886. In this new section, the nominal painter

Jan Matejko Jan Alojzy Matejko (; also known as Jan Mateyko; 24 June 1838 – 1 November 1893) was a Polish painter, a leading 19th-century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works include large scale ...

was buried there, among other notables.Rakowicki Cemetery at cracow-life.com
/ref> Between 1933 and 1934 the cemetery was widened at its north end, across an old military base, with a city street eliminated. In 1976, it was finally entered into the list of local heritage sites, and in 1979 it was the last place visited by Pope John Paul II during his June 2–10 first papal visit to his native homeland.

Cultural significance

The

is a place of burial of the ordinary citizens of the city as well as national heroes: famous writers, scientists, representatives of noble families, independence fighters, political and social activists, leaders and participants of Polish independence movements and insurrections, and veterans of the 20th century's two

World War A world war is an international War, conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I ...

s, among others. The name Rakowicki Cemetery derives from the name of the Rakowicka street, once a suburban road leading to the village of Rakowice 2 km away.

Layout

Within the cemetery, there are special sections allocated to graves of the participants of Polish national uprisings such as the

November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31) (), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in Russian Partition, the heartland of Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. ...

, the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

, and the

Kraków Uprising The Kraków Uprising ( Polish: ''powstanie krakowskie'', ''rewolucja krakowska''; German: ''Krakauer Aufstand''; Russian: ''краковское восстание'') of 1846 was an attempt, led by Polish insurgents such as Jan Tyssowski and ...

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

casualties are buried there, including ethnically Polish soldiers conscripted into all three imperial armies: Austrian, Russian, and Prussian – most of whom died in local hospitals. There are members of Polish Legions; the participants of the Charge at Rokitna; the workers killed during strikes of 1923 and 1936.

National significance

The cemetery is a national monument of great historical and artistic value. Its selected gravestones and mausoleums are the work of well-known architects, among them, Teofil Żebrawski, Feliks Księżarski, Sławomir Odrzywolski, Jan Szczepkowski, as well as sculptors such as

Konstanty Laszczka Konstanty Laszczka (born 3 September 1865 in Makowiec Duży; died 23 March 1956 in Kraków) was a Polish sculptor, painter, graphic artist, as well as professor and rector (academia), rector of the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. Las ...

, Tadeusz Błotnicki, Wacław Szymanowski, Karol Hukan and others. In 1981 a Public Committee for the Preservation of Kraków was founded, with a special sub-committee for the saving of the cemeteries of Kraków and other regional heritage sites. OKRK is organizing an annual collection for the restoration of historic tombs and gravestones. Works are being conducted simultaneously at the Rakowicki Cemetery and the New Foothill Cemetery (with the cooperation of the Association Podgórze.pl). OKRK is organizing an annual donation drive, raising funds for the renovation of historic tombs and the public monuments. Public funds are used for the restoration of deteriorating tombs without owners.Obywatelski Komitet Ratowania Krakowa

Notable interments

Those buried at the Rakowicki Cemetery include: *

Teodor Axentowicz Teodor Axentowicz (; 13 May 185926 August 1938) was a Polish-Armenian painter and university professor. He was also the rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. As an artist, Axentowicz was famous for his portraits and scenes of Hutsul lif ...

(1859–1938), painter * Gabriela Balicka-Iwanowska (1871–1962), botanist, legislator *

Michał Bałucki Michał Bałucki, pseudonym ''Elpidon'' (29 September 1837 – 17 October 1901), was a Polish playwright and poet. Biography Bałucki was born on 29 September 1837 in Kraków. He studied at Saint's Ann gymnasium in Kraków, and then at the Jag ...

(1837–1901), playwright and poet *

Andrzej Bursa Andrzej Bursa (21 March 1932 – 15 November 1957) was a Polish poet and writer. Born in Kraków, he studied journalism, then Bulgarian at Jagiellonian University in Kraków. In 1954–1957 Bursa worked as a journalist and reporter for the Krak ...

(1932–1957), poet and writer *

Adam Chmielowski Albert Chmielowski (20 August 1845 – 25 December 1916) - born ''Adam Hilary Bernard Chmielowski'' - was a Polish Franciscan tertiary, painter, and disabled veteran of the Uprising of 1863. He was founder of both the Albertine Brothers and Alb ...

(1845–1916), nobleman and painter * Hanna Helena Chrzanowska (1902–1973), Roman Catholic nurse *

Maximilian Cercha Maximilian (also spelled Maksymilian) Cercha (1818–1907) was a Polish painter and drawer. He was the nephew of Ezechiel Cercha (1790–1820) and the father of (1867–1919). Life Cercha was born on in Kraków. He studied at the Jan Matejko ...

(1818–1907), painter * Napoleon Cybulski (1854–1919), physiologist * Emil Czyrniański (1824–1888), chemist *

Ignacy Daszyński Ignacy Ewaryst Daszyński (; 26 October 1866 – 31 October 1936) was a Polish socialist politician, journalist, and very briefly Prime Minister of the Second Polish Republic's first government, formed in Lublin in 1918. In October 1892 he cofo ...

(1866–1936), socialist politician and journalist *

Józef Dietl Józef Dietl (24 January 1804 in Podbuże near Sambor – 18 January 1878 in Kraków) was an Austro-Polish physician born to an Austrian father and Polish mother. He studied medicine in Lviv and Vienna. He was a pioneer in balneology, and a pr ...

(1804–1878), physician * Stanisław Estreicher (1869–1939), historian * Józef Andrzej Gierowski (1922–2006), historian *

Marek Grechuta Marek Michał Grechuta (10 December 1945 – 9 October 2006) was a Polish singer, songwriter, composer, and lyricist. Early life Grechuta was born on 10 December 1945 in Zamość, Poland. He studied architecture at Tadeusz Kościuszko Universi ...

(1945–2006), singer, songwriter, composer, and lyricist * Julian Gutowski (1823–1890), politician * Henryk Hiż (1917–2006), analytical philosopher * Antonina Hoffmann (1842–1897), theatre actress *

Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Emeryk Hutten-Czapski (), Leliwa coat of arms (17 October 1828 – 23 July 1896) was a Polish Count, scholar, ardent historical collector and numismatist. Hutten-Czapski was born Emeryk Zachariasz Mikołaj Hutten-Czapski in the town of Stańkava ...

(1828–1896), nobleman, scholar, and numismatist *

Roman Ingarden Roman Witold Ingarden (5 February 1893 – 14 June 1970) was a Polish philosopher who worked in aesthetics, ontology, and phenomenology. Before World War II, Ingarden published his works mainly in the German language and in books and newspapers ...

(1893–1970), philosopher *

Tadeusz Kantor Tadeusz Kantor (6 April 1915 – 8 December 1990) was a Polish painter, assemblage and Happenings artist, set designer and theatre director. Kantor is renowned for his revolutionary theatrical performances in Poland and abroad. Laureate of ...

(1915–1990), theatre director *

Oskar Kolberg Henryk Oskar Kolberg (22 February 1814 – 3 June 1890) was a Polish ethnographer, folklorist, and composer active in Partitioned Poland.

(1814–1890), ethnographer and folklorist * Apollo Korzeniowski (1820–1869), poet, playwright, translator, and father of novelist

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Eng ...

Juliusz Kossak Juliusz Fortunat Kossak (15 December 1824 – 3 February 1899) was a Polish historical painter and master illustrator who specialized in battle scenes, military portraits and horses. He was the progenitor of an artistic family that spanned fou ...

(1824–1899), painter *

Wojciech Kossak Wojciech Horacy Kossak (31 December 1856 – 29 July 1942) was a Polish Painting, painter and member of the celebrated Kossak family of artists and writers. He was the son of painter Juliusz Kossak, and twin brother of freedom fighter Tadeusz Ko ...

(1856–1942), painter *

Stanisław Kutrzeba Stanisław Marian Kutrzeba (1876–1946) was a Polish historian and politician who was Professor of the Jagiellonian University from 1908, and then until the end of his life the Chair of Studies in Polish law. He was chair of the Law Department ( ...

(1876–1946), historian and politician *

Barbara Kwiatkowska-Lass Barbara Kwiatkowska-Lass (1 June 1940 – 6 March 1995) was a Polish actress. Early life and career Barbara Kwiatkowska was born in Patrowo, a village near Gostynin in central Poland, then under Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), German ...

(1940–1995), actress *

Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski (30 December 1888, Kraków – 22 August 1974, Kraków) was a Polish politician and economist, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, government minister and manager of the Second Polish Republic. Biography He studied at the pr ...

(1888–1974), politician and economist *

Tadeusz Lehr-Spławiński Tadeusz Lehr-Spławiński (September 20, 1891 – February 17, 1965) was a Polish linguist, scholar, and professor of Slavonic studies. He was twice elected rector of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków before and after the Nazi German occupa ...

(1891–1965), linguist *

Juliusz Leo Juliusz Franciszek Leo (15 September 1861 - 21 February 1918) was a Polish politician and academic from Kraków, Poland, while the city was part of the Austrian Empire, then Austria-Hungary. Leo was a professor of economics and law at Jagiellonian ...

(1861–1918), politician and academic * Anatol Lewicki (1841–1899), historian * Zygmunt Marek (1872–1931), socialist politician *

(1838–1893), painter *

Edmund Matejko Edmund Marcin Matejko, also known as Zygmunt Matejko (12 November 1829 – 2 July 1907), was a Polish insurgent, agronomist and teacher. He was participant in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and the January Uprising, tenant of landed estates (in ...

(1829–1907), insurgent, teacher, older brother of Jan Matejko *

Józef Mehoffer Józef Mehoffer (19 March 1869 – 8 July 1946) was a Polish painter and decorative artist, one of the leading artists of the Young Poland movement and one of the most revered Polish artists of his time. Life Mehoffer was born in Ropczyce ...

(1869–1946), painter and decorative artist * Piotr Michałowski (1800–1855), painter *

Maria Irena Mileska Maria Irena Mileska (maiden name ''Książek''), pseudonym Jaga (17 November 1908 in Kraków – 19 September 1988 in Kraków) was a Polish educator, lieutenant of the underground Polish Home Army, scoutmaster and doctor of geography. She was a ...

(1908–1988), geographer, war resister *

Helena Modrzejewska Helena Modrzejewska (; born Jadwiga Helena Mizel; October 12, 1840 – April 8, 1909), known professionally in the United States as Helena Modjeska, was a Polish-American actress who specialized in William Shakespeare, Shakespearean and tragic ro ...

(1840–1909), actress * Tadeusz Pankiewicz (1908–1993), pharmacist * Stefan Pawlicki (1839–1916), philosopher * Henryk Reyman (1897–1963), footballer *

Lucjan Rydel Lucjan Rydel, also known as Lucjan Antoni Feliks Rydel (17 May 1870 in Kraków – 8 April 1918 in Bronowice Małe), was a Polish playwright and poet from the Young Poland movement. Life Rydel was the son of Lucjan Rydel, a surgeon, ophthalmolog ...

(1870–1918), playwright and poet * John Segrue (1884-1942), English journalist *

Klemens Stefan Sielecki Klemens Stefan Sielecki (December 8, 1903 in Stanisławów, Austria-Hungary – July 14, 1980 in Kamień Pomorski, Poland) was a Polish engineer and technical director of the first Polish Locomotive Factory Fablok in Chrzanów in the post-war y ...

(1903–1980), engineer *

Maciej Słomczyński Maciej Słomczyński (April 10, 1922 – March 21, 1998) was a Polish translator and writer. For his detective stories he used the pen names Joe Alex and Kazimierz Kwaśniewski. Life and work Born in Warsaw, he was the son of Merian C. Cooper, an ...

(1922–1998), translator and writer * Ignaz Sowinski (1858–1917), architect *

Jerzy Stuhr Jerzy Oskar Stuhr (; 18 April 1947 – 9 July 2024) was a Polish film actor, film and theatre actor. Considered one of the most popular, influential and versatile Polish actors and an icon of Polish cinema, he also worked as a screenplay, screen ...

(1947–2024), actor *

Władysław Szafer Prof Władysław Szafer PAS HFRSE (July 23, 1886 – November 16, 1970) was a Polish botanist, palaeobotanist, quaternary geologist and professor of botany at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. He was a world pioneer in nature conservation ...

(1886–1970), botanist *

Józef Szujski Józef Szujski (16 June 1835 – 7 February 1883) was a Polish politician, historian, poet and professor of the Jagiellonian University. Life Szujski was born on 16 June 1835 in Tarnów. He studied at Tarnów, then at Kraków (1854) and at Vi ...

(1835–1883), politician, historian, and poet * Wislawa Szymborska (1923–2012), poet, essayist, translator, and Nobel Prize winner * Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz (1883–1948), architect * Rafał Taubenschlag (1881–1958), historian of law *

Dorota Terakowska Barbara Rozalia Terakowska (August 30, 1938 – January 4, 2004), known as Dorota Terakowska, was a Polish writer and journalist best known for her Children's fantasy, fantasy books for children and young adults, two of which became required rea ...

(1938–2004), Polish writer and journalist *

Georg Trakl Georg Trakl (; 3 February 1887 – 3 November 1914) was an Austrian poet and the brother of the pianist Grete Trakl. He is considered one of the most important Austrian Expressionists. He is perhaps best known for his poem " Grodek", which h ...

(1887–1914), Austrian poet * Adam Vetulani (1901–1976), historian * Jerzy Vetulani (1936–2017), neuroscientist *

Tadeusz Vetulani Tadeusz Bolesław Vetulani (13 March 1897 – 24 February 1952) was a Polish agriculturalist and biologist, associate professor of Adam Mickiewicz University in animal husbandry. He was a pioneer of biodiversity research in Poland and conducted no ...

(1897–1952), agriculturalist *

Rudolf Weigl Rudolf Stefan Jan Weigl (2 September 1883 – 11 August 1957) was a Polish biologist, physician and inventor, known for creating the first effective vaccine against epidemic typhus. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine each year betwe ...

(1883–1957), biologist *

Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski Bolesław Ignacy Florian Wieniawa-Długoszowski (22 July 1881 – 1 July 1942) was a Polish general, adjutant to Chief of State Józef Piłsudski, politician, freemason, diplomat, poet, artist and formally for one day the President of the Republi ...

(1881–1942), general, politician, freemason, diplomat, and poet * Wiktor Zin (1925–2007), architect and graphic artist *

Mikołaj Zyblikiewicz Mikołaj Zyblikiewicz (; ; 28 November 1823 – 16 May 1887) was a Polish politician and lawyer of Ruthenians, Ruthenian origin. He was the Mayor of Kraków – in the then Austrian partition, Austrian sector of Partitioned Poland. A s ...

(1823–1887), politician and lawyer

Points of interest

File:Cmentarz Rakowicki 2.jpg, Funerary statue File:Cmentarz Rakowicki 1.jpg, Funerary statue File:Rakowicki Cemetery, Cracow, Poland 2.jpg, Lasocki family tomb File:Cmentarz Rakowicki Grob Dietla.jpg, Dietl family tomb File:Kaplica Zmartwychwstania Pańskiego w Krakowie 2.jpg, Chapel of Resurrection File:POL Kraków Janina Gałowa grave 02.jpg, Tomb of Janina Gałowa, statue by Gosławski File:Pomnik ofiar komunizmu.jpg, Monument to Polish victims of Communism

Notes and references

Internetowy lokalizator grobów Zarządu Cmentarzy Komunalnych w Krakowie

Galeria zdjęć Cmentarza Rakowickiego

External links

Online grave locator in Krakow
() * * {{Authority control Roman Catholic cemeteries in Poland Cemeteries in Kraków Military cemeteries in Poland Tourist attractions in Kraków Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Poland 1803 establishments in Poland 1803 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire