There’s a Graveyard in Hungary where All the Tombstones are Heart-shaped
This is a strange and somewhat creepy way to start writing on Medium, even though a few other articles of mine have already been published through the Eastern Chronicles project.
But here I am, inviting you to take a walk in a graveyard, one that is known in Hungary as being peculiar and unique. This weird place can be found in Balatonudvari, a small village located on the northern shore of Lake Balaton.
The unique thing about this Hungarian graveyard is that it contains more than 60 heart-shaped tombstones. I would say that all of them look more apple-shaped, but tourists seem quite attracted to the “heart” version, so let’s stick with that.
According to the readable inscriptions, more than 50 of the gravestones date back to the 19th century. All of the tombstones are handmade, carved from white limestone.
“The dead heart turns into stone, too. First it becomes dust, then it turns into stone.”
Of course, there is also a local legend about these monuments: apparently, a local handyman convinced the villagers of Balatonudvari to order heart-shaped tombstones because “the dead heart turns into stone, too. First it becomes dust, then it turns into stone.” There are rumors that the last of the heart-shaped tombstones stands at the handyman’s grave. The creepy thing is, according to the same legend, he even engraved his own tombstone.
Despite the legend, I think that there was actually a local company providing funeral services which came up with the eccentric idea of heart-shaped tombstones. I tend to believe this because few gravestones like this can be found in the nearby villages. Or, who knows, maybe there really was a local sculptor who convinced the Balatonudvari authorities to buy his work. Either way, the subject is worth exploring and raving about. Meanwhile, tourists continue to come and see the heart-shaped tombstones in Balatonudvari.
The creepy stories don’t end here. Next time, I’ll share a tale about a man from Fonyód, Hungary, who built a villa-sized crypt for his beloved deceased fiancé. As if that wasn’t already eerie enough, the crypt villa was recently turned into a café. So stay tuned.
Photo credits: Cristian Sitov/ Doiniţa Spuză
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