©Stad Gent
You will find the Southern Cemetery in the shadow of Ghent University Hospital, not far from the train tracks, in the “Nieuw Gent” neighbourhood. A variation on the Limburg slogan applies: not the largest, yet the oldest!
Unique character
Amazingly, the modal Ghent people often do not know this cemetery enough, even though it has existed since the end of the 18th century. In this busy neighbourhood of Ghent, behind St. Peter's Station, this cemetery is a pleasant green zone. A unique place that certainly shouldn't be missed on your walk is the butterfly garden! The butterfly is the symbol of the Greek god of death Thanatos and you will find it in all sorts and shapes, like on stone urns. You can certainly rest on a cosy bench between the butterfly bushes.
Gravestones with a story
Just like Campo Santo and the Western Cemetery, the Southern Cemetery is also home to a number of Ghentian people with resounding names. Even more attractive perhaps are the “ordinary” citizens with a special life story who rest there. You will find, for example, the grave of Hippolyte van Peene, the spiritual father of our Flemish pride, the Flemish Lion. This man, doctor by training, found his passion in theatre and in 1847 he wrote the most famous Flemish battle song with his wife's nephew, Karel Miry. Unlike his Lion, van Peene was tamed by a bad heart attack in 1864.
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