I’ve never been too fond of graveyards … they’re okay, I suppose, for funerals and general grieving and/or paying your respects but unless it’s a close relative of mine, I don’t really feel any inclination to meander among the headstones. But hey — that’s just me! Graveyards are a pretty big tourist draw, depending on who’s buried there. Here are some notable graveyards according to the Britannica Blog:
- Père-Lachaise. Noted as one of Paris’ most popular tourist attraction, this graveyard boast the remains of Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, Victor Hugo and Marcel Proust, among others. But undoubtedly its most famous resident is none other than Jim Morrison.
- Forest Lawn Memorial Park. This California graveyard receives over a million visitors a year, who come to pay respects to deceased celebs like Walt Disney, Jean Harlow and Humphrey Bogart.
- Valley of the Kings. This ancient necropolis is the home of the tombs of many ancient Pharaohs. And, since the archaeologists who originally found it died soon after their discovery, it’s thought to be cursed.
- Arlington National Cemetery. Many fallen soldiers lie here; but it’s not all soldiers — Jackie O and JFK also rest here.
- Catacombs of Rome. Many of the long-gone Popes reside here — the Crypt of the Popes receives hundreds of thousands of visitors.
- Tomb of the Terracotta Warriors. Construction of this extensive Chinese treasure started in 215 B.C. Man, that’s old. And it was all but forgotten until a farmer stumbled across it in 1974.