Slavín (Prague)

Slavín is a tomb at the Vyšehrad Cemetery in Prague. Many notable Czech personalities are interred in the tomb.

Slavín

History

The idea of the establishment of the pantheon, a final resting place for outstanding Czech personalities, appeared in the 1880s. The initiators were Vyšehrad provost and Mikuláš Karlach and Mayor of Smíchov Petr Matěj Fischer, who also helped to finance the monument.

The monumental tomb was designed by architect Antonín Wiehl. Slavín was built in the years 1889-1893 on the eastern side of the Vyšehrad Cemetery. The sculptural decorations were made by Josef Mauder (1854-1920). Poet Julius Zeyer was the first person to be buried in the tomb, in 1901, eight years after its completion. The last person interred at Slavín was conductor Rafael Kubelík in 2006. The tomb contains 44 burial tombs, mostly with coffins, though some urns are stored as well. The remains of 55 people are currently interred in Slavín.

Notable interments

Poets and writers Julius Zeyer, Josef Václav Sládek, Jaroslav Vrchlický, Růžena Svobodová, Jan Klecanda, Jaroslav Hilbert, Antonín Klášterský, František Xaver Svoboda, Josef Hora, Karel Toman, Marie Pujmanová, Josef Štefan Kubín Actors Otýlie Beníšková, Zdeněk Štěpánek, Vítězslav Vejražka, Eduard Kohout, Ladislav Boháč, Jaroslav Marvan Painters Vojtěch Hynais, Alfons Mucha, Václav Špála, Antonín Pelc, Antonín Strnadel Sculptors Josef Václav Myslbek, Jan Štursa, Bohumil Kafka, Ladislav Šaloun, Jan Lauda Opera singers Ema Destinnová, Otakar Mařák, Vilém Zítek, Richard Kubla, Kamila Ungrová, Václav Bednář Pianists Jan Heřman, František Maxián Violinists Jan Kubelík, Jaroslav Kocian, Karel Hoffmann Architects Kamil Hilbert, Josef Gočár, Karel Honzík, Jaroslav Fragner

Inventor František Křižík Conductors and composers Rafael Kubelík, Oskar Nedbal Film directors Ferdinand Pujman, Vojta Novák Historian Václav Vladivoj Tomek Archaeologist Josef Ladislav Píč Philologists Josef Král, Oldřich Hujer Literary historian Jan Václav Novák Economist Josef Gruber Theatre critic and historian Karel Engelmüller Animator Zdenek Miler

References

• Slavin.cz