Vienna’s Central Cemetery II
The Zentralfriedhof also provides powerful reminders of Vienna’s dark times. Nowhere are these reminders of strife more poignantly evident than in the Jewish section of the cemetery, desecrated by the Nazis during Kristallnacht. Though roughly 60,000 graves still remain, the overwhelming impression of this section of the cemetery is one of sorrow. Countless remaining memorials still bear scars of Nazi vandalism and nature has taken over – the result of neglect by family members who could not, for tragic reasons, return to care for their loved one’s final resting place. (Do you see the deer in the overgrown grass in one of the photos?) Still, even amidst the tragedy, signs of hope, and ironically, life, can be seen in a few recently tended older gravesites, as well as care of new gravesites. Perhaps this reflects the Viennese opinions shared with us of the slow but steady religious and cultural tolerance in their community.
All Saints Day and All Souls Day, both national holidays in Austria, will be celebrated this week. We’ve learned these days are part of "Seelenwoche" (All Souls Week) during which many Austrians (traditionally
The Canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral (Henry Scott-Holland, 1847-1918) beautifully expresses what Austrians seem to embrace “Death is nothing at all … why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? … I am waiting for you, somewhere very near, just around the corner. All is well.”
(*Thank you, various Wiener travel guides, for providing facts and figures.)
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