In March 2026, while Rainer was chairing a session at the European Radiology Congress, Sonja visited Vienna’s Central Cemetery. Below, Sonja shares her impression.
With over 330,000 graves, the cemetery is one of the largest in Europe. Located in Simmering, Vienna’s 11^(th) district, it sits on the southeastern outskirts of the city. This spacious, multi-denominational cemetery offers visitors a unique experience, where history, music, politics and religion converge with remarkable intensity.
The sprawling grounds can also be traversed via a shuttle service and contain many newly established graves of ordinary citizens as well as numerous Viennese and European notable figures from cultural history and politics, alongside the old cemetery. The “Musicians’ Corner”, where Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Johann Strauss Sr. and Jr., and Franz Lehár are buried, is particularly well-known, as are the more recent graves of Falco and Udo Jürgens. The cemetery is also the final resting place of numerous writers, actors, scientists and politicians, including Arthur Schnitzler, Bruno Kreisky, Helmut Qualtinger and Friedrich Torberg.
A striking feature is the monumental Art Nouveau memorial church, St Charles Borromeo, which stands at the centre of the cemetery. Considered one of the most significant sacred buildings of the Art Nouveau period, it is a striking feature of the cemetery.
I perceived the cemetery not only as a place of remembrance, but also as a peaceful natural space with old, tree-lined avenues, expansive meadows and tranquil pathways. The Vienna Central Cemetery conveys a special atmosphere of melancholy, dignity and typical Viennese charm.
