Description of the attraction
The exact date of the foundation of the Old Cemetery in Kielce is unknown, but it is assumed that it appeared in 1801. Previously, the territory of the cemetery belonged to the bishop, who had a farm on these lands. After nationalization, here, by order of the Austrian authorities, a cemetery was founded, which, according to sanitary standards, was supposed to be outside the city. Previously, the dead were buried in the cemetery near the Cathedral of St. Adalbert, as well as in the old cemetery next to the chapel of St. Leonard.
They began to bury everyone in the cemetery, without division according to the religious principle: Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox. Soldiers who took part in the Napoleonic wars were buried here.
During its existence, the cemetery has been expanded to accommodate more graves. In 1818 it was expanded to the east, and in 1862 it was extended to the south by the project of Alexander Dunin-Borkovsky. The last expansion took place in 1926.
In 1836, after the establishment of the Protestant parish, the territory for the Protestants was set aside in the cemetery. Due to the large number of Russians living in the city, in 1851, work began on the creation of a separate Orthodox cemetery, which was opened in 1865.
Many famous residents of the city are buried in the cemetery: military, benefactors, politicians.
