In Italy, this role has traditionally been played by the basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, thanks above all to the neoclassical poet Ugo Foscolo, who chose it in his work ‘Dei sepolcri’ as Italy’s national memorial. The church houses the tombs of the great personalities of Italy: the “urns of the strong”, as Foscolo calls them in his poem. The Basilica is the burial place of some of Italy’s most illustrious figures, such as Michelangelo Buonarroti, Galileo Galilei, Niccolò Machiavelli, Vittorio Alfieri, Ugo Foscolo and Gioacchino Rossini. Despite being a Catholic church, there are also burials of non-believers, including Foscolo himself. The first illustrious person buried here was Leonardo Bruni in the second half of the 15th century, while the last person actually buried in Santa Croce was Giovanni Gentile in 1944, but after the war commemorative plaques were put up, such as the one for Enrico Fermi, whose tomb is in the United States where he died in 1954.
[Here you can find a complete list of people buried in Santa Croce.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Burials_at_Basilica_of_Santa_Croce,_Florence)
**What is the main monument to famous people of the past in your country and perhaps also their burial place?**
30 comments
For Turkey, the most famous is without a doubt [Anitkabir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An%C4%B1tkabir), the Mausoleum of Atatürk. It is regularly visited on his death anniversary and state holidays, by state officials and the public. I have been there very often for memorial services.
Not really. Most famous people are buried on their local graveyards, we don’t have an equivalent to the Kremlin Wall or the Panthéon. That said, there are some “famous” graveyards, such as the “secondary graveyard,” _Assistens kirkegården_ on Nørrebro in Copenhagen, which houses many famous Danish figures, like Søren Kierkegaard, H.C. Andersen, Niels Bohr, Dan Turrell, and so on. The graveyard is just a normal cemetery, associated with the Copenhagen parishes, and was established to help with the overcrowding of earlier cemeteries. There is nothing special about it, but because it assists all the Copenhagen parishes, it has ended up housing many famous Danes.
There is also _Vestre Kirkegård_, also in Copenhagen, the largest graveyard in Scandinavia, which also houses a great many famous Danes. Around one of the two lakes in the park, a lot of former politicians, particularly from the social democratic party, have their graves, earning the lake the nickname “the Red Sea.”
There’s [Walhalla](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walhalla_(memorial)), not as a mausoleum, but as something like a “Hall of Fame” of important people “of the German tongue”. It was conceived in typical 19th century romantic / nationalistic fashion (the name alone!), but is apparently still actively in use, with a new bust being added every couple of years.
It’s not taken very seriously and I doubt the average German is even aware that this exists.
We have the mausoleum of Lenin where his mummy is still being kept. Burials in cathedrals (namely the Dormition Cathedral) are mostly for church leaders, not so popular to visit. However, there’s also the Kremlin Wall Necropolis where a lot of important people from Soviet era are buried, burial near the Kremlin wall was considered a very high honor among the party members.
I guess it would have to be [Wawel Castle](https://culture.pl/pl/miejsce/wawel-siedziba-krolow-polski#:~:text=W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw%20%C5%81okietek%2C%20Kazimierz%20Wielki%2C%20W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw,prezydent%20Lech%20Kaczy%C5%84ski%20z%20ma%C5%82%C5%BConk%C4%85.) in Kraków:
“Apart from the kings, Marshal Jozef Pilsudski, General Wladyslaw Sikorski and President Lech Kaczynski with his wife are buried there. In the crypts there are also remains of poets Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Slowacki, national hero Tadeusz Kosciuszko and the soil from the grave of poet Cyprian Kamil Norwid.
To this day in the cathedral, near the entrance to the sacristy, stands the confessional in which Karol Wojtyla [John Paul II] confessed on September 1, 1939, just after receiving the news of the outbreak of war.”
Many famous people (e.g. director Krzysztof Kieślowski or composer Stanisław Moniuszko) are also buried at the [Powązki Cemetery](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pow%C4%85zki_Cemetery) in Warsaw.
And then Fryderyk Chopin’s heart is burried in the [Holy Cross Church](https://www.historiaposzukaj.pl/wiedza,historiomat,257,historiomat_serce_chopina.html) in Warsaw.
There is a mausoleum for the last German emperor (Wilhelm II) in the province of Utrecht. After the end of World War One, the emperor fled to the Netherlands and was granted asylum here. He is laid to rest above ground and according to his last will, he is to be moved back to Germany upon the restoration of the Prussian monarchy.
Would you also count the Pantheon in Rome for Italy? You have some artists there like Raphael and the Italian kings.
Not French, but they have the [Panthéon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panth%C3%A9on)
We have the so-called “Graves of Honor” in Vienna’s Central Graveyard. They’re not all in one place though and the graveyard is humongously big, so I’ll leave the answer as “maybe”.
There’s also the mausoleum of the Habsburgs which is a tourist attraction, but that’s only for that family.
Probably [Vyšehrad cemetery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vy%C5%A1ehrad_Cemetery) is the closest to this.
There’s a Pantheon in the [repurposed Church of Santa Engrácia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Santa_Engr%C3%A1cia) in Lisbon, which contains a bunch of presidents, Eusebio, and Amália Rodrigues. I don’t think anyone pays much attention to the presidents.
Yes, [Panteón de hombres ilustres](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pante%C3%B3n_de_Hombres_Ilustres), in Madrid, near Atocha train station.
The Paris Pantheon would probably fit this description.
Originally a planned church, it was transformed into a mausoleum for the remains of distinguished French citizens. It was inspired by the Roman Pantheon (according to the Wikipedia article below).
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panth%C3%A9on](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panth%C3%A9on)
Another mausoleum in Paris is the Invalides, where notable military figures, including Napoleon are buried.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Invalides](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Invalides)
Assistentkirkegården in Bergen and naturally the royal mourseleum at Aggershus Fortress
[The Panthéon](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panth%C3%A9on) and [The Invalides](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Invalides) are just that.
in my city there is a monument by Armin the Cherusker, he defeated 3 Roman Legion in the year 9,
The Kyffhäuser Monument (also Barbarossa monument) is a monument in the Kyffhäuser Mountains on the site of the former imperial castle Kyffhausen in the district of Steinthaleben (municipality of Kyffhäuserland)
in Thuringia’s Kyffhäuser district. The 81 m high monument was erected from 1892 to 1896 in honor of Kaiser Wilhelm I,
The Monument to the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig was erected in memory of the Battle of the Nations and inaugurated on October 18, 1913,
At 91 meters high, it is one of the largest monuments in Europe
Definitely the most famous in Slovakia I would say is the Burrial Mound of General [Milan Rastislav Štefánik](https://www.obecne-noviny.sk/uploads_article/101944/MohylaMilanaRastislavatefnika-kopie_PuJaQ_1493289912.jpg), one of the founding fathers of Czechoslovakia and a key organiser of the Czechoslovak Leigion during WW1.
He died in 1919 in a mysterious flight accident (he was a pilot), there are contradicting official records and witness testimonies and lot of theories, including a theory that he was assassinated by Edvard Beneš (Second Czechoslovak president, and a rival of Štefánik). Some theories do have evidence behind them, mostly just witness testimonies.
[Many people are buried in Turku cathedral](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turku_Cathedral#Notable_people_buried_in_the_cathedral). Most of them weren’t that important but there are some Swedish royals and Bishops of Turku among them.
One of the more unique memorials is the Memorial of Aurel Vlaicu.
Aurel Vlaicu was a brilliant engineer in aviation. In 1913, he took off in his own original flying machine from Bucharest to his final resting place in Băneşti. He wanted to cross the carpatian mountains in one single flight which was a huge step forward but unfortunately crashed. His Memorial is placed in the exact location he died and there’s a pretty busy road right next to it so you can visit it quickly.
The cause of the crash is unknown, some speculate sabotage, others say that the plane stalled while landing with the engine off, which was a common practice at the time.
Westminster Abbey, the London church famous for royal coronations and weddings: Kings Edward the Confessor, Edward Longshanks, Henry V, Edward III, Henry VII, James I, George II, William of Orange, & Charles II; Queens Elizabeth and Mary I, Mary II, Anne, & Mary Queen of Scots; and also Geoffrey Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, and Stephen Hawking – all of them are buried/interred there.
Not really, but Hietaniemi cemetery in Helsinki does have lots of famous people, and there’s a special area for artists. And there’s a Swedish queen buried in Turku cathedral.
The only thing I can think of is Roskilde Cathedral where 39 Danish Kings and Queens are buried, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Basically almost every old church in Cracow has its own crypt with some famous people buried there, there’s a lot of such places in churches scattered all around the old Polish cities.
André Hazes (‘English pronunciation’ *Andrey Hah-zes*) was a folk singer whose fans counted pretty much an entire generation, especially the bar-going types
After his death in 2005, a statue was made after him in the capital Amsterdam, people occasionally dedicate flowers and draft beer to the statue, especially on his birthday and day of deceased
[Full statue](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YUN2M7Sujvk/ThmP90ZKngI/AAAAAAAABkw/SF0rIgm6Yds/s640/Afbeelding2a.jpg)
[Flower and beer offering](https://www.buitenbeeldinbeeld.nl/Amsterdam_Z/Andre%20Hazes_bestanden/image004.jpg)
Now, this is no significant historical figure at all, and I absolutely hate his music, but the fact that people put beercans at a contemporary singer’s statue just makes me chuckle sometimes
In the UK St. Paul’s and Westminster Abbey have burials of the “great and the good”
I’d bet a lot of money that there isn’t a single country that doesn’t have statues of famous people.
Not exactly a mausoleum, but many prominent people lie buried in the [First Cemetery of Athens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Cemetery_of_Athens). It is a sight worth seeing because of all the intricate sculptures.
We, in Romania, do not have a kind of Pantheon in France. We do have, however, the Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest. There are many important historical figures (politicians, artists) that are buried in that place.
I live in a city (Delft) where the largest church holds the Tomb of the “father of the fatherland” William of Orange as well as the rest of the royal family.
They were just done renovating the church and now it’s closed again because they need to make room for future dead royals.
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Grafwillemvanoranje.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Grafwillemvanoranje.jpg)
[https://www.royal-house.nl/topics/death/nieuwe-kerk-delft](https://www.royal-house.nl/topics/death/nieuwe-kerk-delft)
We sorta kinda have something along the lines of your question:
[Carol Park Mausoleum](https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleul_din_Parcul_Carol) – A mausoleum in a park with some crypts. During the communism era, there were a lot of high ranking officials buried there. I am not sure if their remains are still there today. But it’s more linked to the nomenclature of that time rather than generally famous people of the past.
[Another interesting thing is the Bellu Cemetery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellu_Cemetery) (close to the above mausoleum), where a lot of famous people are buried. It can be visited by anyone and it’s considered an outside museum.
Another rather known mausoleum is the [Mărășești Mausoleum](https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleul_de_la_M%C4%83r%C4%83%C8%99e%C8%99ti). However it’s in the memory of the WW1 heroes from the battle of Mărășești.
There might be other monuments throughout the country, but I’m from Bucharest and that’s why I might have omitted them.
Apologies for the [ro.wiki](https://ro.wiki) links but the English pages were with even less information.