At the end of the 18th century, a new municipal cemetery of the town Turčiansky St. Martin. The city and cemetery acquired importance during the second half of the 19th century. In August 1866, died vice-president of Matica Slovenská Karol Kuzmány.
His funeral became memorable by the number of people who came to it. Gradually increased the graves of patriots who worked in Martin after closing of Matica Slovenská as editors publishers and printers of Slovak newspapers and books, museum keepers, amateur actors, but also Slovak entrepreneurs, who had founded small factories here as furniture, textile mill and a brewery.
Beside the tomb of K. Kuzmány is located the grave of Janko Francisci Rimavský with his wife, in the neighborhood is situated distinctive stone cairn on the grave of Andrej Kmeť, founder of Slovak museums. Behind them are buried journalist Mikuláš Štefan Ferienčík and Slovak romantic writer Janko Kalinčiak. Behind a separate metal fence is burried Viliam Paulíny Tóth and his family.
Amid Part A dominates the tomb of Svetozár Hurban Vajanský. Deeper inside the cemetery two distinctive white crosses mark the graves of Slovak writer, editor and Slovak women office Živena member, Elena Maróthy Šoltésová, her husband and their children.
The first known amateur actress Anna Jurkovičová - Hurbanová is buried near Ema Goldpergerová , custodian of the Slovak National Museum and the first Slovak botanist Isabella Textorisová.
Poet Máša Haľamová is buried near her mother and her husband on the south side of the cemetery, where rest as well other famous personalities of cultural life of Martin - Michal Mudroň and Andrej Halaša. Their tombstones are reliefs by sculptor Jozef Úprka.
After World War I, after the creation of Czechoslovakia Martin's cemetery is becoming a popular place to bury Slovak personalities who did not end their life journey in Martin. The remains of Martin Kukučín transported from Croatia, Janko Kráľ from Zlaté Moravce, lawyer Štefan Marko Daxner from Tisovec and Janko Jesenský from Bratislava.
The remains of Štefan Krčméry are situated in one grave with Jozef Cíger Hronský, who with his wife was brought from Argentina. From USA were moved the relics of politician Milan Hodža as well as many other cultural and political leaders. In the minds of Martin citizens the cemetery became an important pious place. The cemetery and the gravestones were treated by personalities as builder Blažeh Bulla, architect Dušan Jurkovič and sculptor Frano Štefunko.
In 1967 the cemetery was given the official name National Cemetery. Currently, there is located more than 3,500 burial sites in the National Cemetery, of which about 400 belongs to important personalities of Slovak life. The administration of the National Cemetery was long time covered by Matica Slovenská, later Slovak National Library.
In recent years it was taken by the City of Martin. Slovak National Literary Museum participates in the presentation of this precious heritage museum as "in situ".
Article Author: A. Brázdová