Life is short: Why not embrace your mortality?
Birds sing the loudest in Olšany Cemetery. Winding paths have been obscured with vegetation. Dried flowers rest on gravesites. With tombstones dating back to the late 17th century, when burial grounds were created for victims of the plague, Olšany truly garners its eeriness from age.
Within Olšany, the necropolis consists of 12 cemeteries. That means 12 times the opportunity for you to honor the dead (or, if you’re in FAMU, film a short drama). There are marble statues atop graves of notable Czech writers, authors and politicians. Even Jan Palach, the student who set himself on fire to protest the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, is buried here. In essence, Olšany is the ideal place for any Tisch artist in need of a muse.
But what about the risk-takers? The spiritually enamored? Well, it’s easy to disregard Olšany visiting hours in hopes of a ghostly encounter. A nicely constructed human ladder might get you inside for a stroll about the grounds at midnight.
We spoke with NYU sophomore Joyce Lin, a Childhood Education Major in CAS, about her attempt to jump the fence with some friends.
Survival Guide: Either you’re inspired or insane. What prompted you to jump over a fence…into a graveyard…at midnight?
Joyce Lin: We just wanted to see what it was like. We were bored and we didn’t feel like spending any money. The graveyard seemed like it could be a fun adventure. It looks kind of like a cemetery in a movie — all the old tombstones and vines. It was cool to see if we could actually get in. And the fence isn’t even that high.
SG: Tell us more!
JL: We tried to get in on the west side of the cemetery. The wall is shorter there. But we didn’t know if there was going to be a way out if we hopped in. We didn’t bring any flashlights, either.
SG: So you didn’t get in?
JL: No. We tried, though!
SG: Now, for the ever-alluring question – why wouldn’t you want to tell your parents?
JL: It’s obvious: It would be stupid to them. Cemeteries aren’t exactly the best places to spend your night. So there really isn’t any point for them to know.
SG: But there’s a point to going?
JL: Definitely. Come prepared and scope it out before. Bring a flashlight. Play some hide-and-seek in the cemetery.
Olšany Cemetary
Location: Žižkov district, Prague 3 (adjacent to the Palác Flora mall). Enter from Vinohradská Street.
Hours: (Not that Joyce Lin abides by them)
January – February: 8 – 5
March – April: 8 – 6
May – September: 8 – 7
October: 8 – 6
November – December: 8 – 5
Within Olšany, the necropolis consists of 12 cemeteries. That means 12 times the opportunity for you to honor the dead (or, if you’re in FAMU, film a short drama). There are marble statues atop graves of notable Czech writers, authors and politicians. Even Jan Palach, the student who set himself on fire to protest the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, is buried here. In essence, Olšany is the ideal place for any Tisch artist in need of a muse.
But what about the risk-takers? The spiritually enamored? Well, it’s easy to disregard Olšany visiting hours in hopes of a ghostly encounter. A nicely constructed human ladder might get you inside for a stroll about the grounds at midnight.
We spoke with NYU sophomore Joyce Lin, a Childhood Education Major in CAS, about her attempt to jump the fence with some friends.
Survival Guide: Either you’re inspired or insane. What prompted you to jump over a fence…into a graveyard…at midnight?
Joyce Lin: We just wanted to see what it was like. We were bored and we didn’t feel like spending any money. The graveyard seemed like it could be a fun adventure. It looks kind of like a cemetery in a movie — all the old tombstones and vines. It was cool to see if we could actually get in. And the fence isn’t even that high.
SG: Tell us more!
JL: We tried to get in on the west side of the cemetery. The wall is shorter there. But we didn’t know if there was going to be a way out if we hopped in. We didn’t bring any flashlights, either.
SG: So you didn’t get in?
JL: No. We tried, though!
SG: Now, for the ever-alluring question – why wouldn’t you want to tell your parents?
JL: It’s obvious: It would be stupid to them. Cemeteries aren’t exactly the best places to spend your night. So there really isn’t any point for them to know.
SG: But there’s a point to going?
JL: Definitely. Come prepared and scope it out before. Bring a flashlight. Play some hide-and-seek in the cemetery.
Olšany Cemetary
Location: Žižkov district, Prague 3 (adjacent to the Palác Flora mall). Enter from Vinohradská Street.
Hours: (Not that Joyce Lin abides by them)
January – February: 8 – 5
March – April: 8 – 6
May – September: 8 – 7
October: 8 – 6
November – December: 8 – 5