Prague - Olsany Cemetery / Olsanské Cemeteries

(Local Name: Olsanské hrbitovy) The Olsany Cemetery was created in 1680 to accommodate plague victims who died en mass in Prague in 1680 and needed to be buried quickly. In 1787, when the plague again struck the city, Emperor Joseph II banned the burial of bodies within Prague city limits and Olsany Cemetery was declared the central graveyard for hygiene purposes.

The graveyard is divided into sections. In the Jewish Cemetery section, is the grave of writer Franz Kafka. In the Christian Cemetery is the grave of Jan Palach, who set himself on fire and burned himself to death in 1968 to protest the Soviet invasion. His body was taken from Olsany Cemetery in 1973 to prevent his grave from becoming the site of organized protests. His coffin was returned in 1990.