kerepesi cemetery

We visited the Kerepesi Cemetery first a year ago, on the All Saints day, it was after dark and the sculptures were spookily amazing. Now we came back on a sunny autumn afternoon, and could have a closer look at all of the graves. I wonder why we did not visit this place more often, it is so amazing, and so close to the city center, just a short walk from the Keleti train station. In the middle of the city, right between a couple of large busy street, but right after you walk through the cemetery gate, you are surrounded by a large silent park. A park, a garden, a museum. A place where you constanstly stumble upon famous Hungarians, and even if you don’t know anything about the country’s history, you will still recognize them, as many of the city’s streets, squares or parks are now named after them.

There are national leaders, writers, artists. Kossuth Lajos, Deák Ferenc oraz Batthyány Lajos in three large mausoleums, the actress Blaha Lujza, painter Munkacsy Mihaly or prime minister Antall Jozsef all in impressive tombs; but this is just the beginning, there are hundreds of them, and I have not seen another cemetery with so many amazing sculptures. You can come back there many times, and still discover new beautiful graves. It’s a beautiful place to visit in Budapest, if you are into history, art, or simply looking for a calm place to wander around.