Goat Gate Cemetery, Bratislava

Worn down from jet lag, we had just arrived in the capital of Slovakia. Jenelle wanted to rest for a couple hours at our hotel so I took advantage of the time to hunt down a cemetery.

My first impressions of Bratislava came during the 10-minute walk to the cemetery. The streets were lined with dingy four-story apartment buildings, probably relics of the Communist era. There was a smattering of graffiti, as well as occasional strips of grass. Away from the historical center, the ambiance here was a peaceful one, with only a handful of pedestrians.

When I arrived at the cemetery on Palisády Street, I found the graveyard locked behind an iron fence. I could see the canary-colored farewell chapel with its rose window, but couldn't find a way to get inside.

Farewell chapel within the walls of Goat Gate Cemetery.

Discouraged, I began to walk around the cemetery in a clockwise manner, first along Bradlianska Street. On my left were more apartment buildings, while on my right, the drab cemetery wall. My mind considered what it might have looked like during the late 1700's when this cemetery likely stood alone, beyond the walls of Pressburg. From time to time I found a gap or hole in the wall and peered inside to see the jumble of tombs.

When I had nearly completed the loop and had already given up hope of entering the cemetery, I arrived at the true entrance on Šulekova Street. What a relief!

I entered a world filled with trees of all varieties, and old tombstones taller than myself. In spite of the motorized roads around the cemetery, the world within its walls was peaceful and quiet.

Giant tombstones.

Interesting statue and headstone.  Notice the little skull. 

Youth making a peaceful walk through Goat Gate Cemetery.

I wandered among the graves, which appeared to be laid out in random patterns. Headstones came in a variety of designs, with different styles and motifs. Some were in the shape of a cross, while many came accompanied with statues. Some appeared to contain the carving of a skull.

Although I am not an expert in all languages, the headstones appeared to have writing in Slovak, German, and probably Hungarian, likely representing the different people and rulers over the last couple centuries. Within this burial ground were artists, inventors, architects, lawyers, historians, merchants, clergymen, soldiers, and politicians.

Dr. Cyril Daxner: Nationalist, lawyer, Slovak officer and church official, hero of the Little War, participant in the resistance against German Nazism.

Cintorín Kozia Brána, or literally translated from Slovak as “Goat Gate Cemetery,” was established in 1783. Originally, the growing Lutheran population of Pressburg (the old name of Bratislava) built a cemetery just outside the city walls. Emperor Joseph Ⅱ made a declaration that all cemeteries would have to be further away from the population centers for hygienic reasons. As a result, the Lutherans purchased land at the current location for a new cemetery. It received its name because it was built along the road that led from the Goat Gate (of the old city walls) toward the hills of the Little Carpathian Mountains.

Several expansions have been made over the years, leading to some of the chaos in the layout of the graves. The cemetery was officially closed in 1950, although there have been burials since then by those who already owned plots. There are 4,000 graves in the cemetery, but taking into consideration that several of the graves have been used several times over, some estimates put the number of deceased at 20,000.

I found it interesting that many graves abutted the outer wall. Many of these outer graves used the wall as a headstone, each with their own design, thus creating a tapestry of styles.

Inner wall of cemetery used as headstones. 

Who knew that Freddy Kruger was buried here?

Example of a German headstone.

For being an older cemetery, the grounds and graves were very well-kept and clean. Although I didn't see many people, there were some who came in for a stroll to enjoy the peaceful spirit.

As could be expected when walking through a foreign cemetery, I didn't know any of the people buried there. Although there was one who was later brought to my attention.

Grave of Janos Jeszenak.

A wing of the mausoleum for the Jeszenak family. 

Russian Orthodox Cross inside of a cross.

On the south side of the cemetery is a mausoleum dedicated to the family of Baron János Jeszenák. János was a former governor and a participant in the Hungarian resistance during 1848 and '49. As a result, he was executed in Budapest on October 10, 1849. It wasn't until 1867 that his remains were exhumed and brought to his homeland, where this former traitor became a national hero.

As I finished walking through the old burial ground, I wondered how many more stories were entombed below the ground, never to resurface in this lifetime. I thought not only of the noble, but also of the common people concealed beneath the lush, green ground of the cemetery. What kind of stories did they have? ♠

Example of a rare modern statue and grave in cemetery.

Another statue with a skull.