One day, Erika and I made the long walk across town to visit Bellu Cemetery. Located in southern Bucharest, it is a massive cemetery that houses many famous Romanians, such as writers, musicians, poets, generals, and politicians. It was gorgeous.
Founded in the 1850s, this is Bucharest's most historic cemetery, the final resting place of just about every great Romanian academic, scientist, artist, writer, musician and poet you can think of, as well as the odd politician. Each has his or her own plot, usually with an accompanying monument (our favourite is that devoted to the comic actor Toma Caragiu, tragically killed in the Bucharest earthquake of 1977). You could spend half a day here wandering between the gravestones, memorials and statues (the graves are grouped by profession: scientists in one part, actors in another etc). You should also be sure to visit the central chapel (which keeps the same hours as the cemetery itself), built in the 1880s in the style of the cathedral at Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary) and boasting stunning interior paintings. Next to the cemetery is the Cimitirul Eroilor, where those killed in Bucharest during the 1989 revolution are buried.
Bellu Cemetery is the city's most prestigious burial ground and houses the tombs of many notable Romanian writers. A map inside the gate points out locations. Many Romanians pay their respects to national poet Mihai Eminescu (1850–89) and comic playwright and humorist Ion Luca Caragiale (1852–1912), who are only separated by a bloke named Traian Savulescu; go to Figura 9 (to the right after you enter).
Below are some of the images we took of the various tombs and gravestones. Click the "Load more" link at the bottom to load more images.
Thank you to your both for your blogs. I'm especially interested in the stories that cemeteries tell us about living.