Kategorie: Places

Serban Voda Cemetery (Bucharest)

If you enjoy the magnificent charme of old, grande cemeteries, the Cimitirul Șerban Vodă in Bucharest is just the place to see for you!

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The Cimitirul Șerban Vodă is a must-see place if you want to dive deep into the history of Bucharest. Opened in 1859, it gives you an idea of the past of Romanias capital, especially of the lost 19th century.

Located not far out of the city center, you can easily go here by tram or metro (details below) and will be rewarded with a breathtaking park-like graveyard, that has it all: Huge statues of famous Romanians, giant chapels, fallen crosses – this Cimitirul Șerban Vodă is one of the most vivid burial places I have ever seen.

As you might have read in my report about Rigas Lielie Kapi, I am indeed a big fan of grande burial monuments and historical graveyards, as they show so much of a cities past. You can explore the important families of passed times, the broken traditions, the influences of so many historical periodes. And you can enjoy the silence, that is to be given to a cemetery.

Today, to be buried here at the Cimitirul Șerban Vodă you eather have to be really famous or to know who you have to know – at least that is what people in Bucharest told me. However, this cemetery in Bucharest is a place hardly ever attended by tourists. So it offers you a hide-away from the hectic of regular sightseeing you will certainly enjoy!

That is why if in Bucharest, add the Cimitirul Șerban Vodă to your travel list – the place is magnificent!

Address: Calea Șerban Vodă 249

Public transport: Metro (line 2, blue line) or tram (line 7, 19, 25) to Eroii Revolutiei

Want to read more? Have a look at my travel-report about the wonderful city of Bucharest (in German)

Want to explore more hidden places: Click here to find the complete list!

The Soviet Airport

The Soviet past of Latvia is all over at Spilve Airport: Although originally founded in the 1920s, it later became re-designed and packed with socialist iconography. Check here why you should not miss this lost place in Riga!

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Have you been to Riga yet? Well, then you probably arrived by car, by ferry or most likely by plane, entering the city at Riga’s modern and shiny new airport in the north of the city.

But if you want to dive deep into history, go to Spilves lidlauks (the airfield of Spilve) and have a look at the old Soviet airport. Originally built in the 1920s, the Soviet authorities rebuilt the airport after Latvia to became part of the USSR at the end of World War II. Spilve Airport was richly decorated with working class paintings and communist symbols. And, obviously, all the writings became bilingual, adding Russian next to Latvia.

Spilve Airport may nowadays be forgotten, but all the old symbols are still there and will throw you right out of time back to the socialist past in Latvia.

The future use of Spilve Airport in Riga is recently discussed. Sometimes art exhibitions take place here, sometimes the airfield is used for festivals. For the nearer future, the city is planning to open a museum of aircraft history. But who knows, the place might as well stay in its recent decaying sleep.

If you want to enjoy the full experience of this lost place in Riga, make sure you catch a day with the old terminal building open (for exhibition, i.e.), as it is normally closed. For transport: Bus No. 3 from the central station will bring you to Spilve. For your way back just have a walk and explore the other side of the river, Pardaugava, where Spilve Airport is located.

Address: Daugavgrivas iela 140, 1007 Riga