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Zagreb - Mirogoj Cemetery

I visited the historic (circa. 1876) cemetery todqy and was surprised by the relatively high percentage of headstones of people who had died in the last 40 years. Given the Balkans practice of retribution, I wonder if there waa a procedure for exhuming bodies. I found reference online to a policy of exhumation for nopayment of plot fees. Across the road from the cemtery is a headstone company that displays a number of old markers, one with an Austrian name from the 1880s. In 2023, a Jewish leader alleged that Mirogoj recently had exhumed 3,500 Jewish bodies for fee nonpayment.

In his latest edition for Croatia, Rick recommends Mirogoj as one of Europe's finest cemeteries, a "peaceful spot" and nice place foe a quiet stroll. Please provide more context, Rick. For instance, there is a small section of identical stones for people who died on or about May 8, 1945, the day Tito's forces entered Zagreb, the last holdout of the Nazi collaborating government. Was this a liberation, a massacre of retribution or both? Tell us, Rick

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We haven’t been to this cemetery but we visit family at the cemetery in Rijeka every visit. Unlike in the US when you purchase a plot, in Croatia there are yearly fees for maintenance. They are very minimal, the cost for my in-laws little niche is around $60 per year. If you don’t pay for 10 years, it is considered abandoned and can be resold.