Cholera columns and cementeries – Zbýšov
Fact of the Czech figure „Pandemics in Czech lands”
Part of the „Pandemics” topic
At the cemetery in Zbýšov in the Brno region we can find a cross from 1841 with an inscription: “Year of Grace 1831 on St. Martin’s Day, God allowed the cholera disease to come upon us, which spread from the eastern lands to the western lands across the whole of Europe for several years and brought 50 of the local inhabitants here; this cemetery was founded at this time.”
Similar monuments and remains of cholera cemeteries from the 19th century can be found throughout the Czech lands. The first pandemic wave of cholera entered Europe from Asia via Russia. When the Russian army was sent to suppress the Polish November Uprising of 1830, cholera spread to central Europe, including the Austrian Empire. To prevent the spread of the disease, a Central Sanitary Commission was set up in Vienna, with the army as the main actor. The spread of the disease and the repressive measures resulted in alarming reports of systematic poisoning of the poor, which caused a wave of popular revolts.
During the first cholera epidemic (1831-32), over 58 000 people died in the Czech lands. Further waves followed in 1836-38, 1849, 1855 and especially in 1866, when it was brought into the Czech lands by the Prussian army. At that time, over 31 000 people died of cholera in Bohemia alone.
