Cimitirul Șerban Vodă

Entrance to the Bellu cemetery

Grave of the brothers Evlogi and Hristo Georgiev

Mihai Eminescu's grave

Sculpture by the Romanian sculptor Friedrich Storck

Grave of Dumitru Hubert , pilot and bobsledder

The "French Square"

The Cimitirul Șerban Vodă ( German  cemetery Șerban Vodă ), colloquially also Cimitirul Bellu , (German Bellu cemetery ) is the largest cemetery in Bucharest , Romania . It is located on Calea Șerban Vodă No. 249 in the fourth district of the city on Piața Eroii Revoluției . The cemetery is a national pantheon (memorial to important personalities) and has been in use since 1858. It is named after the voivode Radu Șerban Vodă (1602–1611) and Baron Barbu Bellu (1825–1900), who donated the property to the local administration for use as a cemetery.

The cemetery building ensemble is a listed building. In 1859 the cemetery had an area of ​​17 hectares, in 1960 22 hectares, in 2010 28 hectares, and in 2013 30 hectares. According to the cemetery administration, the facility is a " VIP cemetery".

The budget of the cemetery administration in 2009 was 14 million euros for landscaping, cleaning, security and keeping the cemetery cadastre . The exact number of resting places there is unknown. Since 2010 the cemetery has been a member of the Association of Significant Cemeteries of Europe ( German  association of significant cemeteries in Europe ).

history

Until the middle of the 19th century it was the custom to bury the dead around the churches of Bucharest. Outside the city, the poor were buried in seven to eight cemeteries. At the beginning of the 19th century, the administration decided to abolish burials around the churches. In 1831 the first cemetery law in Romania's modern history was enacted. In 1850 a committee considered the establishment of new cemeteries outside the city. One of the poor cemeteries was on Șerban Vodă Street, where the Baron Barbu Bellu owned a large garden. He donated it to the city, and his neighbors, the monks of the Văcăreşti monastery , followed his example.

On November 26, 1852, the city council decided to start work on the new city cemetery. The architect of the facility was Ion Mincu . In January 1853, the architect Alexandru Orescu completed his plans for a chapel in the cemetery. The new chapel was built on the site of a previous church built by Bellu the Elder (1799-1853). Constantin Lecca was commissioned with the wall painting of the chapel. The iconostasis was carved out of wood by Anghel Dima . The first work on the cemetery began in autumn 1855; in September 1858 it was completed. The cemetery was originally dedicated to believers of the Romanian Orthodox denomination . In 1859 the administration began to move the dead in the old cemeteries at the churches. Constantin A. Rosetti (1816–1885), one of the leaders of the Romanian Revolution of 1848 , was in charge of the work on the cemetery. He was one of the first to buy land there in 1859 for the funeral of his daughter Elena. The writer Cezar Bolliac followed in 1860 , who buried his wife Aristita in the new cemetery.

In 1862 the cemetery came under the supervision of the city council. In 1860 work began on burial sites for people of other denominations, such as Catholics, Jews or Muslims. In 1890, the mayor of Bucharest, Emil Pache Protopopescu , decided to tear down the now dilapidated cemetery chapel and rebuild it in the style of St. Bartholomew's Cathedral in what was then Karlovy Vary (now Pilsen ). The new chapel was decorated with paintings by Mihail Popp , which were later painted over by Dimitrie Belisarie and Artur Verona . Some boyar families transferred the bones of their ancestors to the cemetery.

On May 8, 1999 Pope John Paul II visited the Catholic part of the cemetery, where he prayed on behalf of the victims of communism in Romania at the grave of Cardinal Iuliu Hossu .

Corruption and grave robbery

Until the 1970s, the cemetery was reserved exclusively for "important people". Since that time there has been a great interest in available grave sites in limited space on the part of wealthy clients; the cemetery is officially booked up long ago. A black market developed here, favored by the widespread corruption in Romania . A three square meter grave site in a middle location cost there in 2009 (without costs for work such as excavation etc.) between 4000 and 5000 euros. Grave sites on the edge of the cemetery cost around 2,000 to 3,000 euros. Graves in a more central area are more expensive; In 2006 prices of around 10,000 euros were achieved. The “land prices” in the cemetery are considered to be the most expensive in Bucharest.

In addition to the theft of flowers, candles and oil from lamps, there were repeated cases of serious grave robbery . After the earthquake in 1977 , the cemetery was looted. In another known case, robbers broke into the mausoleum of the brothers Evlogi and Hristo Georgiev in the 1990s, stealing eight bronze torches about 1.5 meters high and 40 centimeters thick, each weighing 160 kilograms, which were then sold as scrap . The graves of Christian Tell, Pache Protopopescu and others were damaged and looted between 1990 and 1995. In the area of ​​the military cemetery, one of the bronze lions of the monument in honor of the heroes of World War II , weighing around 1000 kilograms, was stolen.

description

The cemetery is the "National Pantheon of Romania", a memorial and the final resting place for important personalities of the history, culture or politics of the country. Boyars, bankers, generals, scientists, politicians, scholars, artists, philosophers, historians, writers and athletes are buried here. Over time, the cemetery grew into a diverse art collection. The corridors of the cemetery are lined with works of art by sculptors such as Emil von Becker , Raffaello Romanelli , Frederic Storck , Oscar Han , Cornel Medrea , or Dimitrie Paciurea . Also impressive are the mausoleums created by Ion Mincu with their neo-Byzantine elements, as well as the mural in the chapel.

In its old boundaries, the cemetery consists of six sections and a military cemetery, including the cemetery of the heroes of both world wars. It was only later that the areas for the dead of the 1989 revolution that lie outside these sections were created. The Catholic cemetery follows the Orthodox cemetery.

On the western edge of the Cimitirul Șerban Vodă lies the German military cemetery Pro Patria , which was inaugurated on August 24, 1918 in the presence of the German military leader August von Mackensen . This is where 2,292 German casualties and hospital casualties from the First World War from 1917 rest ; In the Second World War, 1561 graves of German soldiers were added. At the end of the main path there is a stone memorial with the inscription “Fatherland honor your heroes” in the five languages ​​(German, Romanian, Hungarian, Bulgarian and Turkish) of the nations that fought in Bucharest in the First World War.

The French Karree ( French carré français ) comprises more than a hundred graves of soldiers of the French Expeditionary Corps who died between 1917 and 1919 during the First World War. The graves can be recognized by swords stuck in the ground.

Persons buried in the cemetery (selection)

Theodor Aman (1831–1891), Romanian painter and wood engraver George Bacovia (1881–1957), Romanian poet Gheorghe Bănciulescu (1898–1935), Romanian aviation pioneer Ion Barbu (1895–1961), Romanian mathematician Carol Benesch (1822–1896), Romanian architect Andrei Blaier (1933–2011), Romanian film director and screenwriter Dimitrie Brândză (1846–1895), Romanian botanist Marius Bunescu (1881–1971), Romanian painter and museum director Scarlat Callimachi (1773–1821), dragoman of the Ottoman Empire Ion Luca Caragiale (1852-1912), Romanian writer Toma Caragiu (1925–1977), Romanian actor Constantin Cândea (1887–1971), Romanian professor of chemistry Panait Cerna (1881–1913), poet, philosopher, literary critic and translator Liviu Ciulei (1923–2011), Romanian actor, film director, set designer, theater director and director Henri Marie Coandă (1886–1972), Romanian physicist and aerodynamicist Dina Cocea (1912–2008), Romanian actress Corneliu Coposu (1914–1995), Romanian politician George Coșbuc (1866–1918), Romanian writer, translator, teacher and member of the Romanian Academy Hariclea Darclée (1860–1939), Romanian soprano Anghel Demetriescu (1847–1903), Romanian writer and historian Ovid Densusianu (1873–1938), Romanian Romanist, Romanist, folklorist and poet Ion Diaconescu (1917–2011), Romanian politician and anti-communist activist Gheorghe Dinică (1934–2009,) Romanian actor Ion Dolanescu (1944–2009), Romanian pop singer Mihai Eminescu (1850–1889), Romanian poet Paul Everac (1924–2011), Romanian dramaturge Eugen Filotti (1896–1975), Romanian diplomat and writer Evlogi Georgiev (1819–1897), Bulgarian merchant, banker and founder Hristo Georgiev , 19th century Bulgarian donor Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu (1838–1907), Romanian writer Dumitru Hubert (1899–1934), Romanian bobsledder Dimitrie Gusti (1880–1955), Romanian sociologist, historian, voluntarist philosopher, social reformer and cultural politician Iulia Hasdeu (1869–1888), Romanian writer and intellectual Emil Hossu (1941–2012), Romanian actor Nae Ionescu (1890–1940), Romanian philosopher, Orthodox theologian, university teacher and journalist Șerban Ionescu (1950–2012), Romanian actor Iorgu Iordan (1888–1986), Romanian Romance scholar, Romanist and linguist Nicolae Iorga (1871–1940), Romanian historian, literary critic, dramaturge and poet Ștefan Octavian Iosif (1875–1913), Romanian poet Petre Ispirescu (1830–1887), Romanian folklorist, editor, folklorist, storyteller, writer and printer

Panait Istrati (1884–1935), French-speaking writer of Romanian origin Nicolae Labiș (1935–1956), Romanian poet Ștefan Luchian (1868–1916), Romanian painter Alexandru Macedonski (1854–1920), Romanian writer Lia Manoliu (1932–1998), Romanian discus thrower Ion Minulescu (1881–1944), Romanian poet and writer Ovidiu Iuliu Moldovan (1942–2008), Romanian actor Theodor Pallady (1871–1956), Romanian painter Nicolae Paulescu (1869–1931), Romanian physiologist, professor and the discoverer of insulin Adrian Păunescu (1943–2010), Romanian poet, journalist and politician Amza Pellea (1931–1983), Romanian film and theater actor Camil Petrescu (1894–1957) Romanian dramaturge, doctor of philosophy, writer and poet Cezar Petrescu (1892–1961) Romanian writer, translator, journalist, editor of various newspapers Constantin Titel Petrescu (1888–1957), Romanian politician of the interwar period Gică Petrescu (1915-2006), Romanian singer and composer of popular music Florian Pittiș (1943–2007), Romanian actor and director, translator, interpreter of folk music Marin Preda (1922–1980), Romanian writer George Pruteanu (1947–2008), Romanian politician and philologist Nicolae Rădescu (1874–1953), Romanian lieutenant general and prime minister Dem Rădulescu (1931–2000), Romanian actor and academic Constantin Rădulescu-Motru (1868–1957), Romanian philosopher, psychologist, sociologist, playwright, author and politician Liviu Rebreanu (1885–1944) Romanian writer and journalist Mihail Sadoveanu (1880–1961), Romanian writer and politician Dan Spătaru (1939-2004), Romanian singer Nichita Stănescu (1933–1983), Romanian writer and poet Laura Stoica (1967–2006), Romanian singer, composer and actress Constantin Tănase (1880–1945), Romanian actor Marioara Tănase (1940-1970), Romanian singer (folk music) Maria Tănase (1913–1963), Romanian singer Ionel Teodoreanu (1897–1954) Romanian writer and lawyer Cornel Todea (1935–2012), Romanian director Mihaela Ursuleasa (1978–2012), Romanian pianist Vasile Vasilache (1907–1944), Romanian director and actor Grigore Vasiliu Birlic (1905–1970), Romanian comedian and actor Hélène Vacaresco (1864–1947), Romanian-French writer Artur Văitoianu (1864–1956), Romanian general, politician and Prime Minister Aurel Vlaicu (1882–1913), Romanian aircraft engineer Traian Vuia (1872–1950), Romanian aviation pioneer

rating

The world described the cemetery, referring to the Marco Polo travel guide, as "a panopticon of pathos: artists, politicians and wealthy families have their magnificent tombs with classicist columns and baroque statues here".

literature

• George Bezviconi: Cimitirul Bellu din Bucureşti , 1941, in Romanian
• George Bezviconi: Necropola Capitalei , Bucharest 1972; Chișinău 1997, in Romanian

Web links

Commons : Cimitirul Șerban Vodă  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• bellu.ro: History of the Bellu Cemetery , in English
• Allgemeine Deutsche Zeitung für Romania , Aida Ivan: An extraordinary open-air museum in Bucharest - tombstone art and history in the Bellu Cemetery , March 17, 2013
• acasa.ro, collection of articles on the subject of “Cimitirul Bellu” , in Romanian
• Formula AS, Natasa Galche: Legendele Cimitirului Bellu , 2010, Numarul 939, in Romanian

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} acasa.ro, Mihaela Rotaru: Ce vizitam azi: Cimitirul Bellu , February 20, 2012, in Romanian, accessed June 17, 2013
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} bellu.ro: History of the Bellu Cemetery ( Memento of the original from June 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The  archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in English, accessed June 16, 2013
3. ↑ List of monuments: Lista Monumentelor Istorice - 2010 ( Memento of the original of June 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 7.4 MB) , B-IV-aB-20118 “Ansamblul Cimitirul Șerban Vodă - Bellu”, in Romanian, accessed on June 16, 2013  
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Administraţia Cimitirelor şi Crematoriilor Umane: Bellu hectare de istorie ( Memento of the original of July 23, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , 2010, in Romanian, accessed June 16, 2013  
5. ↑ ^{a b c} General German newspaper for Romania , Aida Ivan: An extraordinary open-air museum in Bucharest - tombstone art and history in the Bellu Cemetery , March 17, 2013, accessed on June 17, 2013
6. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Ziarul de Duminică, Cosmin Savu: Reportajul Lunii, Privilegiatii lumii de apoi. Cimitirul Bellu , May 28, 2009, in Romanian, accessed June 16, 2013
7. ↑ ^{a b c d} Lumea credintei, anul II, nr 5 (10), Cristina Mărculescu: Bellu, 28 de hectare de istorie , June 6, 2005, in Romanian, accessed on June 17, 2013
8. ↑ Le guide routard: Ungheria. Romania. Bulgaria. Guide Routard Europe. Touring Editore Verlag, 2003, ISBN 9788836527885 , p. 544, here p. 278
9. ↑ papainromania.ro: Rugăciune la mormintele martirilor , September 5, 2009, in Romanian, accessed on June 16, 2013
10. ↑ Deutschlandradio Kultur : Die Friedhofsspekulanten , October 11, 2009, accessed on June 17, 2013
11. ↑ Jurnalul, Roxana Ioana Ancuta: Ia-ti Bucurestii! - Bellu: Ultima sueta a nemuritorilor , September 6, 2006, in Romanian, accessed June 16, 2013
12. ↑ Birgitta Gabriela Hannover: Bucharest: The Romanian Capital and its Surroundings , Trescher Travel Series, Trescher Verlag, 2008, ISBN 3897941201 , p. 312, here p. 212
13. ↑ Ziarul de Duminică, Catalin Fudulu: Manusa feldmaresalului Mackensen , September 12, 2008, in Romanian, accessed June 17, 2013
14. ↑ Die Welt : In Bucharest there is a German monument in five languages , December 31, 2001, accessed on June 17, 2013
15. ↑ List of the names of the soldiers buried in the “French cart” and the list of the names of the soldiers buried in the “French cart” , in French, accessed on June 16, 2013
16. ↑ ^{a b c} Marcel Catillon: Mémorial aéronautique: qui était qui? , Nouvelles Editions Latines, 1997, ISBN 9782723305297 , p. 221, here p. 160, in French, accessed on June 16, 2013
17. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Anja Kotzan: Romania , Baedeker 2009, ISBN 3829711727 , p. 203, accessed on June 16, 2013
18. ^ Norbert Lewandowski: Romania: Travel with Insider Tips and Travel Atlas Romania , Marco Polo Travel Guide, Edition 4, Mair Dumont Marco Polo, 1999, ISBN 3829700245 , p. 116
19. ↑ Die Welt: Romania Locations: Attractions ( Memento from July 1, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) , accessed on June 17, 2013

Coordinates: 44 ° 24 '13.7 "  N , 26 ° 5' 58.9"  E