The Evangelical Cemetery in Karviná is located in the village of Karviná-Kopalnie in Zaolzie. It is a remnant of the two Polish mining colonies (Mexico and New York) that inhabited the area.

The history of the cemetery dates back to 1903, when the Evangelical Cemetery Society in Karviná and Solca ceremonially opened the cemetery on land donated by Josef and Ewa Kraina.

In 1906, a chapel with a wooden bell tower was built. In 1924, the necropolis was expanded to an area of approximately 6000 m².

The Second World War brought devastation to the mining colonies. The plundering of coal deposits led to the deterioration of the almost 20,000-strong village and cemetery. The last burials took place in the 1970s. During this period, the necropolis was officially closed. Since then, the cemetery has been deteriorating.

In 2017, Polish women and men from Zaolzie, in cooperation with the SCEAW parish in Karviná, made an effort to clean the cemetery.

This work was finalised in 2022, thanks to a programme organised by the Polonika Institute, which, in cooperation with the Volens Foundation, the Olza PRO Association and the Congress of Poles in the Czech Republic, carried out the project for volunteers "Karviná Mexico Cemetery - cleaning work".

During the project, 141 people carried out cleaning, revitalisation and inventory work. The Karviná cemetery became a starting point for discovering local history. The project produced a seven-minute film documenting the work.

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Film produced by the Olza Pro Association

Year of production: 2023

Film editing: Marek Konieczny, Jozef Szymeczek, Luděk Ondruška

Published with permission of the Olza Pro Association