Art Nouveau in Budapest is a well-covered topic, but it is less known that the style was so popular that it extended to the grave. Kozma Street Cemetery, the second largest cemetery in Budapest after Kerepesi Cemetery (which is also spectacular, and loaded with examples of Art Nouveau) is known for its unique crypts, headstones, and Art Nouveau mausoleums. Kozma Street Cemetery was founded in 1890 by the Neolog Jewish community, and is still in operation today.
There are an estimated 300,000 people buried in the cemetery, including Hungary’s first ever Olympic gold medal winner, Alfréd Hájos. But it is the monuments to these past lives that make the place so remarkable and photogenic. Just have a look at this Ödön Lechner-influenced crypt, which Béla Lajta designed for the Schmidl family. Rare is the crypt that is considered ‘architecturally significant’ by style mavens and landmark spotters. This would make quite a stylish location for a thinking man’s horror flick or erudite vampire.
Currently, many of the graves are un-cared for or in disrepair, contributing to the eerie and otherworldly feel of the cemetery, which is situated next to an equally frequented, though perhaps not as grandiose, Catholic cemetery. Like many of the Jewish locations in and around Central Europe, the Kozma Street Cemetery feels trapped in time. But despite the fact that much of the community it serviced perished in World War II, the cemetery is still in use.
A feeling of whimsy runs through the graveyard. To boot: here is a model car ornament.
Additionally, some graves are unique in that they feature images of human forms, something that is unorthodox among Jewish grave-sites. For a unique, creepy but fascinating location, it is hard to beat Budapest’s Kozma Street Cemetery.