“Lost your way?” a voice whispers. That’s the feeling one gets in Cimetiere parisien de Pantin. This is not just a cemetery. It is a city of silence. A place where stories sleep beneath the soil.
Cimetiere parisien de Pantin opened its gates on November 15 1886. It stands as one of Paris’s three extra muros cemeteries. The others are Cimetiere parisien de Thiais and Cimetiere parisien de Bagneux. Both of which also opened in 1886.
Imagine over one million souls find their eternal rest here. Annually nearly 5000 interments take place. Cimetiere parisien de Pantin is the largest cemetery in Paris. It is also the largest in France by both graves and land area. It sprawls across 107 hectares. That’s about 260 acres.
Think of it as a garden. Over 8000 trees line the streets. These streets form a 32 kilometer network. They allow vehicles to navigate this vast necropolis. There are almost 200000 graves divided into 180 sections. The oldest graves reside in the first seventeen divisions.
Many members of the Jewish community rest here. France has the largest Jewish community in Europe. More recently the cemetery has become a place for the Chinese Buddhist community.
The Cimetiere parisien de Pantin holds stories of crime and remembrance. Marthe Erbelding rests here. She was an 11 year old girl. She was murdered in 1907. The gruesome details delayed the abolition of capital punishment. Ilan Halimi was temporarily buried here. He was kidnapped and tortured in 2006. Later he was reburied in Israel.
This cemetery reflects the past decades. Graves of the rich stand alongside those of the poor. It is featured in songs. Vincent Delerm Pierre Perret and Mano Solo all mention it.
Sadly Cimetiere parisien de Pantin has seen moments of hate. In July 1973 one hundred Jewish tombstones were desecrated. Some Stars of David were defaced.
The Cimetiere parisien de Pantin also holds war graves. Ninety three servicemen of World War I are buried here. They died in military hospitals. Some were stationed here after the Armistice.
Among the many interred are notable figures. There is Frederic Othon Theodore Aristides an artist. Jeanne Aubert an actress rests here. Jacques Audiberti a writer also calls this place home. Emile Bernard a painter is among them. Eugene Criqui a boxer lies here too. Ginette Leclerc a comedian is buried here. Jean-Pierre Melville a film director rests here. Savielly Tartakower a chess grandmaster is also here.
Look closely at the grave of Germain Verle. It features a sculpture by Georges Meynial. Take note of the tomb dedicated to mes maitres Deon et Dea.
Memorials dot the landscape. They commemorate events like the 1956 TAI crash. The main entrance is on Avenue Jean Jaures. It is actually on Avenue du Cimetiere Parisien.
To reach this place take metro line 7. Get off at Aubervilliers Pantin Quatre Chemins or Fort d’Aubervilliers. Bus lines 151 and 152 also serve the cemetery.
As you wander through Cimetiere parisien de Pantin remember. You are walking among stories. Each grave marks a life lived. Each monument a memory etched in stone. This city of silence speaks volumes to those who listen.