In a city where there are still people who save long and hard to give themselves a perfect burial, it's hardly surprising that one of Europe's biggest cemeteries can be found here. Nowhere else can you see such visible proof of Vienna's proverbial morbidity than in the Zentralfriedhof. Opened in 1874, it now has a bigger "population" than the city of Vienna itself-more than 2.5 million and as many as 333,000 graves alone can be found in a small area covering 2.5 square meters. For many Viennese, a grave here is a measure of success; the more pompous the funeral and grave, the better known the person was during their lifetime.
The Viennese do not consider this cemetery in any way an eerie place which is best avoided, but see it as a huge park. A walk under the tree canopies surrounding the graves and mausoleums is a sure-fire way to make time fly on Sunday afternoons, as there is a lot to discover.
Gloomier in November, warmer in May, cool and shady in August-every time of year has different highlights. The busiest time is of course All Saint's and All Soul's Days, when the Vienna transport authorities even have to run extra trams on the No. 71 and 72 lines to prevent the transport system becoming completely overcrowded.
The cemetery can be reached in 30-45 minutes from Schwarzenbergplatz on tram No. 71 or from the Schlachthausgasse on tram No. 72. If you look out the window on the way, you'll see the tenement blocks of Simmering rushing past; where the houses stop, the cemetery begins. The cemetery itself has three tram stops (1st, 2nd and 3rd gates), two S-Bahn stops and its own bus which departs every thirty minutes. The first tram stop (1. Tor/1st gate) will take you to the Jewish section, the second stop (2.Tor/ 2nd gate) to the main entrance and the third stop to the Protestant and new Jewish sections.
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