No one takes care of hundreds of graves, those interested can adopt them
The Administration of Prague Cemeteries (SPH) launched the tombstone adoption project back in 2013. Initially, it did not apply to all cemeteries, but this is no longer the case. “The Cemeteries Administration manages thirty-two Prague cemeteries, and adoption takes place in all of them. Currently, we have 510 graves included in this project, of which 285 are adopted,” says Šárka Těšíková from the Prague Cemeteries Administration, which is in charge of adoptions and the people of Prague can meet her, for example, on guided tours of cemeteries, which SPH also organizes.
Despite this long-term project, however, up to 60 percent of the graves are abandoned. “People die twice. The first time when the body stops working and the second time when they are not forgotten,” states the basic idea of the project Oldřiška Dvořáčková, the founder of the entire project. In order for a grave to be included in the adoption project, it must meet at least one of the following criteria: It must contain the remains of a demonstrably significant person, the grave itself has a high artistic or historical value, someone suggested the grave to the project with the intention of caring for it, or it must be a so-called free grave that does not belong to anyone.
They are adopted by individuals, associations and city districts
However, anyone can join the project and adopt a grave. The condition is “a financial donation intended for the repair or maintenance of specific grave equipment and that in the amount of at least 75 percent of the estimated costs of repairing a specific grave deviceand. These repairs and maintenance are then provided by SPH from these funds.”
The graves of important Czech builders, doctors, writers, inventors or soldiers can be adopted. A number of graves are also adopted by sports clubs. Perhaps the grave of the most successful Slavia Prague’s football coach John “Dědek” Madden has been adopted in Olšany by the Association of Friends of Slavia Prague and not only takes care of it regularly, but also organizes fan meetings here on various occasions.
For example, Prague 3 also participates in the adoption, which has four graves in adoption, among which ten Klenk sisters are not missing. “This gravestone is known for the fact that a Žižkov legend from the beginning of the 19th century is connected to it. Sisters František and Antonie Klenkova were playing on a dirt road, they were run over by a Forman truck and tragically died on the spot,” councilor Pavel Křeček tells the story of the girls. “We paid the rent for this grave site for ten years. I also want his restaurant. We bring flowers and candles here. It is a very visited grave site,” adds Křeček.
You can also adopt graves from Czech artists
However, you can also adopt tombs from important Czech artists. For example, the tomb of Jaromír Nečas at the Olšan Cemetery was designed by František Bílek himself. Nečas (1879–1962) “was a city doctor and loved people.” The name of his brother Viktor, an accountant, who was buried here already in 1908, is also carved on the tombstone. They were brothers-in-law of the sculptor František Bílekwho created this relief along with the lantern and incorporated everything into a compositionally perfectly balanced tombstone of multicolored sandstones,” says the card on the adoption website.
Adoption can also serve as a non-traditional gift. “For example, one young man adopted the tombstone of his girlfriend’s literary favorite as a birthday surprise for her,” Every adoption is actually another story, hidden behind a story. And every rescued and repaired tombstone is something that gives me great joy and gives me the feeling that my work is meaningful,” concludes Dvořáčková.
The mysterious Malostransky cemetery Vera Exnerová
A tomb by the famous Czech artist František Bílek is available for adoption
Author: SPH