My husband and I may be a little odd in that we enjoy visiting cemeteries when we travel. It is a fascinating look at how different cultures honor the dead as well as a step back through time.

Central Cemetery in Vienna is known for being one of the largest in the world and contains the graves of many famous people.

To reach the cemetery from central Vienna, take tram 71 and get off at gate 2 (the tram stop is right in front of it). The cemetery is open from 7 am to 7 pm. We arrived around 8 am and didn’t see anyone else for at least another hour. There is a café with nice WCs by the entrance; there is also a museum related to funeral customs and burial rites in Austria.

As you walk through the main gates, you will be flabbergasted at how large this cemetery is. Right in the middle is a domed building, a chapel. There maps scattered around that show the numbered sections. If you want to locate a particular grave, the maps will be helpful.

I wanted to see some of the composer’s graves, so looked up their location on-line. On the main avenue, before reaching the chapel, is section 32A. There is a sign on the left pointing you to the correct area.

The variety of styles of graves is quite something to see. We found the Hedy Lamarr’s grave; it was quite modern looking. Behind is a marker in the shape of a grand piano.

Some of them were just plain strange:

And I guess this is what happens when you don’t pay for upkeep:

But mainly, the graves were quite ornate:

And, I guess some people want everyone to know what they looked like:

I highly recommend a visit!