Praha 8 will repair the cemetery of the madmen in Bohnice, restore the chapel, the mound, and the crosses

Prague - The Prague 8 municipality will renovate the so-called madmen’s cemetery in Bohnice. The project will restore the chapel, the mound, crosses, and pathways, and create space for an exhibition about the history of the cemetery. The municipality currently has a completed architectural study. The spokesperson Martin Šalek told ČTK today that the start date and cost of the renovation are not yet known. The dilapidated cemetery is owned by the capital city, which has entrusted its management to Prague 8. The cemetery originally belonged to the Bohnice psychiatric hospital and was where deceased mentally ill individuals were buried. It was later managed by the Office for Representation of the State in Property Matters. Burials will not resume at the cemetery.

"The proposed reconstruction will preserve the unique genius loci of the cemetery while also respectfully and sensitively enhancing it. A prerequisite for cultivating this incredible memorial site was the transfer of the cemetery to the municipal district. This was achieved after ten years of significant effort,” stated Deputy Mayor Jíří Vítek (Patriots).

The architectural study was developed by OHA architects. "The design is bold, including a chapel with an open roof made of rusting steel symbolizing the Crown of Thorns and a space for an exhibition about the tumultuous history of the Bohnice cemetery,” noted Deputy Mayor Radomír Nepil (ANO).

Only fragments of the original chapel walls remain, which will be protected from further decay. The municipality will then complete the missing parts of the boundary walls and gables. All walls will be newly plastered, and the tops of the walls and gables will be structurally secured with a new reinforced concrete ring. The original shape of the chapel will be complemented by structures made of corten steel, replacing the original wooden trusses and resembling the Crown of Thorns. Inside the chapel, there will be a permanent exhibition on the history of the cemetery and the legends associated with it.

The cemetery area is now densely overgrown with invasive greenery, ivy climbing on trees, the ground, and remnants of graves, along with decades-old tall trees. Only paths worn by visitors run through the foliage. Dendrologists will care for the trees and preserve the ivy.

The non-functional cemetery is located west of the psychiatric hospital and near a gardening colony or an animal cemetery. Prague 8 has shown interest in it in the past, coordinating with the state on the management of the cemetery and planning the restoration of the wall and chapel. Resuming burials is not possible, among other reasons, because the specific locations of the buried deceased are not known.

The cemetery was consecrated on September 12, 1909, and the first interment was of eleven-year-old František Janovský. Burials stopped here in 1951. The cemetery covers an area of about 2.5 hectares.