Candles are not allowed in this cemetery. An important appeal to tourists

The symbolic cemetery in Kocioł pod Śnieżką is a particularly important point for mountain lovers. Located at an altitude of approximately 1,300 meters above sea level, the memorial site is dedicated to people who lost their lives on the trails. Unfortunately, tourists paying tribute to the deceased, especially during All Saints’ Day, bring with them candles, which are a nightmare for the employees of the Karkonosze National Park.

Candles in the Karkonosze National Park

Honoring the memory of the dead with a lit candle in the mountains is not necessarily frowned upon. The latest announcement from the Karkonosze National Park reminds us not to bring candles with us during the upcoming All Saints’ Day celebration. “We kindly ask you not to bring or light candles at the Symbolic Cemetery of Mountain Victims in Kocioł pod Śnieżką, the popular Kocioł Łomniczki. The remains of such memory evidence are problematic waste that should never be found in this place,” it was written in a post published on Facebook. However, Internet users pointed out in the comments that candles were often lit in this place by rescuers in the past. However, the park explains its decision by prohibiting the use of open fire, which is one of the points of the regulations of the protected area.

Unusual cemeteries in Poland

The symbolic cemetery in the Karkonosze Mountains, created in 1985 on the initiative of the Sudetes Guides Circle, is an example of one of the most interesting memorial sites in Poland. A similar facility can also be found a little further away, in the Tatra Mountains in Lesser Poland. It was marked out in 1922 on the Slovak side of the mountains, on the western slopes of Osterwa and southeast of Popradzki Staw. The local cemetery is also symbolic, as no bodies have ever been buried here. Since 1969, this small cemetery has been under the care of the Tatra National Park, and a year later it was entered into the register of national monuments.