Old Municipal Cemetery

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Information	Value
Article type	Place
Object type	Municipal cemetery
District	Old Town
Location	Northwestern outskirts of the Old Town
Founded	Not established
Current status	Limited operation; upper terrace abandoned
Created	August 24, 2026
Updated	August 25, 2026

Overview
Location
General layout
Main entrance and office
Central avenue and chapel
Burial sections
Abandoned upper terrace
Service area
Drainage system
Connections between zones
Related articles

Overview

The Old Municipal Cemetery, also known as the old cemetery, stands on the northwestern outskirts of Molchegorsk's Old Town. It occupies a high, uneven terrace at the foot of the western mountain slope.

When the cemetery was established, it lay beyond the dense urban development. As Molchegorsk expanded, old residential quarters approached its southern wall. After the New Municipal Cemetery appeared, maintenance of the distant upper terrace ceased, although the main part of the old cemetery remains in limited operation.

Location

Old residential quarters approach the cemetery from the south. Its western and northern boundaries face coniferous forest, rocky outcrops, and a gradually rising mountain slope. The eastern side faces the Old Town.

Between the trees, the city rooftops, the Church of Saint Tikhon, and the Ferris wheel of abandoned Kirov Park can be seen from the cemetery.

The elevated site separates the main burial sections from the low river floodplains and seasonal floods.

General layout

The grounds stretch from south to north and rise across several terraces. The farther a section lies from the main entrance, the older its burials are and the worse the condition of its paths, fences, and gravestones.

The main planning axis runs as follows: city street → main gate → central avenue → chapel → old sections → abandoned upper terrace → forest.

A stone wall with metal sections surrounds the cemetery. The southern stretch remains in satisfactory condition. Near the forest, tree roots and ground movement have damaged parts of the masonry and metal spans.

Main entrance and office

Main entrance

The main gate stands on the cemetery's southern side, opposite a small square used by funeral processions.

The entrance complex includes:

a stone gateway with metal leaves;
two side gates;
a guardhouse and office;
a notice board;
a map of the sections;
a city bus stop;
a small flower kiosk;
a parking area.

A broad central avenue begins at the gate. Its asphalt is cracked, and tree roots have lifted individual sections of the surface.

Guardhouse and office

A single-story brick building stands to the right of the main gate. It contains:

the attendant's room;
the superintendent's office;
the burial archive;
a staff room;
a restroom;
a small storage room;
a basement containing the heating unit.

The archive holds registration ledgers, old section plans, and maps that do not fully match the cemetery's actual layout.

Central avenue and chapel

Central avenue

The central avenue runs through almost the entire cemetery. Old spruce, birch, and rowan trees grow along its sides. The avenue separates the more orderly eastern half from the old western part of the cemetery.

Benches, standpipes, waste collection areas, stone section markers, memorial boards, side paths, and lamps line the avenue. Permanent lighting remains only near the main entrance and the chapel.

In its middle section, the avenue opens onto a circular square before the chapel.

Chapel and ceremonial square

A small stone chapel stands near the center of the cemetery. A paved square in front of it serves as a stopping point for funeral processions.

The chapel contains:

a main hall;
a sanctuary;
an attendant's room;
a room for preparing ceremonies;
an old sacristy;
stairs to a small basement;
a side exit to the western section.

The basement contains a utility room, a sealed niche, and a narrow ventilation duct. It is not part of a single large underground complex.

Burial sections

Oldest section

The oldest burials lie west of the chapel. This part predates the regular plan: graves stand at different angles, paths wind between them, and the boundaries of some burials cannot be determined visually.

The section contains darkened stone crosses, handmade fences, slabs with almost illegible inscriptions, family plots, several small crypts, and old trees growing inside grave enclosures. Some paths end in dead ends or emerge behind the chapel.

Soviet-era sections

The eastern half of the cemetery has a stricter layout. Straight paths divide it into rectangular sectors.

Metal fences, granite and concrete monuments, family graves, plots assigned to organizations and enterprises, old standpipes, and technical passages between sectors predominate here. This part is represented more accurately on official plans and is easier to navigate.

Memorial square

A small memorial square lies at the intersection of the central and eastern avenues. It contains a common monument, two walls bearing names, an area for laying flowers, flagpoles, a locked service niche, and steps leading to the neighboring terrace.

Family crypts

Several crypts stand along the western wall, where the ground becomes rocky. Some of the structures are built into the slope.

Each crypt includes an exterior metal door, a short vestibule, a main burial chamber, wall niches, a ventilation opening, and a drainage sump. The crypts are not connected to one another.

Narrow construction voids remain between the rear walls of some crypts and the natural rock. They can be entered through damaged sections of masonry.

Abandoned upper terrace

The cemetery's northernmost section rises toward the forest. Maintenance ceased after the New Municipal Cemetery appeared.

The upper terrace has almost no paved paths. Fallen trees cover the ground, fences are hidden by tall grass, section numbers have been lost, some graves have subsided, and the retaining wall is cracked. The outer wall has collapsed in places, and the forest is gradually reclaiming the area.

A breach in the northern wall opens onto an old forest road.

Service area

The service yard stands by the northeastern wall and is separated from the burial sections by an internal barrier.

It contains:

a garage;
a workshop;
a tool store;
a staff room;
a machinery shelter;
a store for old monuments and fences;
a technical-water tank;
a service gate;
an area for temporary soil storage.

A service road leads from the yard to the eastern sections and the upper terrace.

Drainage system

Because the cemetery stands on a slope, an old drainage network runs beneath its grounds. It was not designed for people to move through freely, although some chambers are large enough to inspect.

The system includes:

drainage ditches between the terraces;
stone retaining walls;
drainage wells;
short drainage tunnels;
a collection chamber beneath the central avenue;
a water outlet beyond the eastern wall.

In the upper cemetery, roots and ground movement have damaged some channels. Impaired drainage causes the soil to subside and damages individual paths.

A damaged section of masonry in the chapel basement provides access to a drainage well. A narrow channel leads from the well to the collection chamber beneath the central avenue and then to an outlet near the eastern retaining wall.

Connections between zones

The principal routes through the grounds form three connected lines:

1. Central line: main gate → office → chapel → upper terrace. 2. Western line: chapel → oldest burials → family crypts → breach in the wall → forest road. 3. Eastern line: memorial square → Soviet-era sections → service yard → service gate.

An additional concealed route runs as follows: chapel basement → damaged drainage well → collection chamber → outlet near the eastern retaining wall.