Early in the morning, the first people visiting the graves of loved ones appeared at the largest necropolis in Warsaw – the Northern Cemetery. Anything to avoid traffic jams. Police officers direct traffic on the roads.
TVN24 reporter Michalina Czepita has been in the vicinity of the Northern Cemetery since the early morning hours. She estimated that car traffic there was increasing hour by hour. Our camera was at the main gate. The parking lot around the cemetery has been full since the morning. – It is open from the morning and we actually observe that in this largest cemetery, one of the largest in Europe, a lot of people visit the graves of their loved ones – said the reporter before 9 a.m.
Go to cemeteries earlier to avoid traffic jams
Czepita also talked to several people who came to the cemetery early in the morning to avoid traffic jams. – We're leaving in the morning on purpose. We leave at 6.30 to be at the cemetery early to reduce traffic – some admit. – One year we came back home. Because the traffic jam was terrible – they add.
– I left Praga Południe very early in the morning, probably at 6:10 a.m. – said another person.
Traffic around the Northern CemeteryTVN24
– We come to avoid traffic jams. That's why it's so early – explained another resident of Warsaw.
Those who visit both small and large cemeteries must face similar problems. – Let me remind you that traffic organization around cemeteries is different today. The Warsaw City Hall encourages you to switch from your car to public transport today. For this reason, buses, trams and metro run much more often than on a standard day – recalled the TVN24 reporter.
Special lines have also been launched to transport Warsaw residents to cemeteries. Police officers also direct traffic in the capital. City guards and scouts help at cemeteries.
Sale of flowers and candles near the Old Powązki Cemetery in WarsawPAP/Paweł Supernak
Northern Municipal Cemetery is a municipal cemetery managed by the Municipal Cemeteries Board. Covering an area of 143 hectares, it is the largest cemetery in Warsaw and one of the largest in Europe. The site for the cemetery was designated in the 1960s on the northern edge of the city and partly in the town of Wólka Węglowa (hence the common name “Cmentarz na Wólka”). The cemetery was opened in 1973 and to date, nearly 180,000 people have been buried here.
Main photo source: TVN24