In Paris, the notorious French capital, there are places that stand out for their peculiarity. One of them is the Père Lachaise Cemetery, one of the best known and most visited in France. Among its many curiosities, the fact that many Parisians consider it a park stands out. And you, do you dare to meet him?
The origins of this cemetery are no different than any other cemetery. The Père Lachaise was inaugurated in 1804, and was part of an urban plan, created to lessen the burden on the central cemeteries of Paris.
In its beginnings, the Père Lachaise Cemetery was not well received by the French nobles, who did not accept that it would be on the outskirts, almost completely away from the city.
Many people refused to be buried there, so some of the most famous graves in Paris had to be moved to this new cemetery, for it to gain more prestige.
With the passage of time, the Père Lachaise Cemetery reached its full capacity, so it had to be expanded on five different occasions. One of the most outstanding peculiarities of Père Lachaise is that almost all European architectural styles are mixed in it, with large samples of Baroque, Gothic, Neo-Gothic and Neoclassical design.
Today, the Père Lachaise Cemetery is a top-notch tourist attraction, receiving more than a million visitors annually.
Initially designed by the architect Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart as an English-style space, with abundant vegetation, where leafy trees and curved paths proliferate throughout its more than 44 hectares of land.
The layout of the paths and avenues create a labyrinthine effect, in contrast to traditional cemeteries that are organized in regular grid sections. The paths are usually straight and free of curvatures.
It is the very design of the Père Lachaise Cemetery that manages to create a landscaped environment where the visitor constantly has the feeling of being in a romantic park.
Some travelers prefer to leave cemeteries and other overly gloomy places off their itinerary. However, the Père Lachaise, more than a cemetery, is an open-air museum.
It is common for Parisians to go to the place, not only to visit its tombs, but also to enjoy its gardens, groves and architectural wealth. Similarly, the Père Lachaise Cemetery, named after François d’Aix de la Chaise, Father confessor of King Louis XIV, has become a place of pilgrimage for many fans of music, art, cinema and Literature.
This is because notorious figures such as Edith Piaf, Maria Callas, Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Frederic Chopin, Honoré de Balzac, Colette, Isadora Duncan, Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Richard Wright, Georges Méliès, Molière are buried here. , Auguste Comte and Miguel Ángel Asturias.
Being a public area, access to the Père Lachaise Cemetery is free, and people who visit it can visit its various graves and stay there as long as they want, you just need to be aware of the opening and closing times.
Usually, the Père Lachaise Cemetery opens its five gates at 8:00 am, and closes at 18:00. Tourists can go anytime during these hours. Please note that during the low season months the cemetery opens 30 minutes later.
If you are going to visit the Père Lachaise Cemetery, it is a good idea to go with a map of the place, since it is so wide that it is easy to get lost, and finding the most famous graves can be a bit complicated if you do not know where they are located. .
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