Graves of Science

Here lies my personal collection of graves, memorials, statues, commemorative tablets, road signs, etc., of famous scientists.

Particularly, physicists, mathematicians and astronomers are well represented in this collection, due to my personal interest in these fields.

Some of the pictures had to be (highly) edited, as I prioritize legibility over "authenticity" of the photograph.

A short history of this site

The proto-idea for this project emerged in the minds of several Physics students in the cold Prague spring of 2023, and was inspired by the book of M. Vlach et al. (available from Matfyzpress). 

For a few days, an Instagram account named "Science is Dead" hosted these pictures, but was taken down as a misinformation site, without the right to appeal -- in the eyes of Instagram algorithms, Physicist behave the same as machines -- cf. Descartes.

A few notes on this hobby

I am keeping this site somewhat anonymous, as the field of Mathematical Necro-Tourism is still in its infancy (but see Cicero's notes as exception), and I am often faced with a lack of understanding from my others. This appears to be a shared experience, as several other Mathematico-Necro-Tourists have reported to me (notably Mi.St. and Ja.Rů).

This can be exemplified by a recent story: while searching for shared apartments, I was asked what are my hobbies. I made a promise to myself that I will not mention graves on interviews and first dates, so I had to simply say, "I enjoy walks in parks".  Needless to say, the apartment is near a very nice Friedhof :)

A few tips and tricks

1. Be prepared. A detailed plan can save you tens of kilometers. Try to find pictures of the grave before.

2. Daylight is your friend, nocturnal hunts can be challenging.

3. Patience is key. Feel free to bring along friends, as long as they are dedicated to the hunt.