Roberto Gonzalez
A strange and beautiful cemetery
The Cemetery of St Peter's Abbey is one of the most beautiful and interesting cemeteries I've ever seen. It really has it all: legends, art, religion, and tons of charm. It might seem strange to describe a cemetery as charming, but there's really no other word for this place. You reach it after passing through several streets from Kapitelplatz, and you'll immediately notice the thick forest of crosses right at the foot of the fortress. It's the kind of cemetery that inevitably attracts the attention of the living; it seems to me that funerary arts seems to be more powerful in Central Europe, more delicate but more visceral.
There are legends here like that of the Seven Crosses: it is said that the mason Sebastian Stumpfegger killed and buried six wives by muzzling them and tickling their feet until they died of laughter, so nobody would know what had happened...until the very last escaped to tell the tale. The crosses in the cemetery are made of iron, wood or bronze, and are notable for being adorned with simple, almost playful paintings. There are large tombs, too, for those who were important in life and wanted to stay that way in death. Also, don't miss the two churches located in the cemetery.
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