Wednesday 2 November 2016

St. Marx Cemetery on All Saints' Day
Autumn in Vienna


St. Marx Cemetery
The beautiful Biedermeier cemetery
was left to decay after its closing as a burial ground in 1874


It fell into a long Sleeping Beauty slumber.
The tomb stones and memorials started crumbling,
bushes and trees grew into impenetrable thickets


At one point, in the 1920s, the city even contemplated
tearing down the tombs and turning the whole area into a park


Thanks to the efforts of historian Hans Pemmer,
and due to the fact that St. Marx holds the mortal remains
of one of Vienna's most famous citizens, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
the cemetery was spared destruction.
It was renovated and opened to the public again in 1937

Photographed on All Saints' Day, 1 November 2015
Images and Text © by Merisi

29 comments:

  1. So glad your story has a happy end.

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  2. The light is so perfect this time of year. Love the golden glow from all those leaves. Glad the place was saved thanks to its famous inhabitant.

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  3. Beautiful "ephemeral captures Merisi .... I love the play of light in your top pic.

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  4. It looks like a beautiful place to wander, Merisi.

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  5. everywhere here too is covered in fallen leaves right now - some great shots here

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  6. Wonderful graveyard with fantastic autumn colours. Love from Poland

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  7. With these photos you describe perfectly why I like Autumn...

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  8. I love that photo of the cemetery with the golden carpet of leaves. Bravo.

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  9. Smashing picture, old, slightly overgrown cemeteries are so photogenic...

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  10. What dreamy nostalgic photos of the old cemetery. Are those coins on the pillar by the statue?

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    1. Yes, these are coins.
      People leave all sorts of tokens. I frequently spot Japanese messages, matchboxes, and the like.

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  11. Beautiful autumnal images.

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  12. Magnificent images of such special and beautiful place and love your narrative! It's funny, Mozart in both posts.

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  13. remains my favorite thanks to you xx

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    1. I was thinking of you the whole three hours I was wandering about there! xox

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  14. i love love love cemeteries ... that one looks to be very interesting ...

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  15. So beautifully lit, Merisi.

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  16. Beautiful light! It was such a pretty day!

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  17. Oh how I love to hear of happy outcomes like this Merisi, it would have been a crime to let this wonderful old cemetery disappear forever. Your images for the theme have so much feeling, j'adore!

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  18. Oh how I love to hear of happy outcomes like this Merisi, it would have been a crime to let this wonderful old cemetery disappear forever. Your images for the theme have so much feeling, j'adore!

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  19. Replies
    1. The angel is guarding the Mozart memorial. ;-)

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  20. It's good to remember Mr Pemmer and to thank him again and again for his rescue.

    Thank you also, Merisi, for acquainting us with this beautiful place. xo

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