Central Cemetery, Sanok
The Central Cemetery is a communal cemetery in Sanok, Poland. The necropolis comprises multiple sections, beginning with the oldest at Jan Matejko Street, followed by a designed area at. Both sections are listed in the Registry of Cultural Property in Sanok. Over time, the cemetery expanded to include adjacent areas, including two soldiers' quarters, forming the current necropolis. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship.
History and structure
Old section at Jan Matejko Street
The original cemetery at what is now Jan Matejko Street, no longer in use, was established following a decree by Emperor Joseph II on 11 December 1783, issued by the Galician Gubernium on 21 January 1784, mandating burials outside urban areas. Previously, Sanok's cemeteries were located in the city center: a Roman Catholic cemetery around the former at the current St. Michael's Square, near by the bank building at 4 Tadeusz Kościuszko Street and the Ramerówka townhouse, and Greek Catholic cemeteries near Zamkowa Street by the local cathedral and the former at the present John III Sobieski Street, where the and the building at 2 Teofil Lenartowicz Street are located. In the 1930s, during the Second Polish Republic, remains found during excavations at the former Catholic cemetery on Gregory of Sanok Street were transferred to the cemetery at Rymanowska Street. Some old burials at this cemetery are also associated with the nearby.No precise opening date for the cemetery is documented, but burials likely began in the 1790s or early 1800s. The cemetery appears on a Sanok map from 1852. According to historian, the cemetery was established in 1857 on land purchased from Piotr Czyżewski by the Austro-Hungarian district authority. The purchase costs were borne by local Roman and Greek Catholic parishes. Income from burial plot sales supported the construction of the local Roman Catholic parish church. The cemetery was managed by the parish committee.
On 3 April 1867, the Sanok City Council, led by Father, pastor of the Parish of the Transfiguration, initiated plans for a new cemetery. Father Czaszyński chaired a committee that included councilors Michał Solski, Ignacy Kahane,, Szymon Drewiński, and non-councilor Dr.. The committee identified a parcel west of the city owned by landowner. Despite these efforts, the plan was not finalized. On 27 July 1882, the City Council discussed establishing a new Catholic cemetery or expanding the existing one, appointing a committee with Father Czaszyński,,, Jan Kupczyk, and. On 14 December 1882, the council decided to acquire land from Piotr Czyżewski to expand the cemetery.
The cemetery served Christians of Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations, and after the 1784 decree, also Greek Catholics, previously buried at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in the city center. On 20 May 1869, the City Council approved fencing the municipal cemetery. In the mid-1880s, the cemetery, managed by the Roman Catholic parish, faced criticism for chaotic burial practices, lack of fencing and pathways, and its location on marshy terrain. On 12 May 1887, councilor proposed fencing the cemetery with a picket fence for security reasons. A 1891 press report highlighted the cemetery's neglected state. The cemetery at Jan Matejko Street was closed on 1 December 1895. On 5 October 1905, Sanok mayor issued a notice urging residents and others to maintain deteriorating tombstones at the old Catholic cemetery within one year, after which damaged monuments would be removed.
In the late 20th century, Ewa Śnieżyńska-Stolot and Franciszek Stolot identified the tombstone of Antoni Lenik, an imperial-royal financial councilor who died in 1866 at age 52, as one of the oldest surviving monuments. The section at Jan Matejko Street spans 1.57 hectares and has an irregular quadrilateral shape. Its layout resembles a fan, with pathways extending westward, northwest, and northward from the entrance at the southeastern corner on Roman Dmowski Street.
Old section at Rymanowska Street
The creation of a new cemetery may have been driven by the need to expand the existing necropolis or to establish a dedicated Roman Catholic cemetery. On 8 June 1887, the City Council voted to establish a new necropolis for Christian residents, funded by municipal resources, with costs to be offset by future burial fees. A committee comprising,, and Józef Rynczarski was appointed to oversee the purchase and development of the new cemetery. On 21 January 1890, the Sanok magistrate proposed acquiring 2.5 morgs of land from Józef Lisowski. On 26 August 1890, a new committee, including Dr., Father, and Paweł Hydzik, was tasked with assessing the suitability of land owned by Franciszka Lisowska.The city acquired land from, approximately 1.3 km from the Market Square. On 15 March 1894, the City Council approved the purchase of three morgs of land in Posada Sanocka or Dąbrówka Polska from Józefa Rylska for 5,000 PLN. On 29 October 1894, Mayor reported the purchase of plot 1186 from Józefa Rylska for 5,000 PLN. This plot, identified on an 1852 map as "Średnie pole", formed the basis for the new cemetery.
City architect designed the communal cemetery and a Gothic Revival funeral chapel. His design, published in 1896 in , served as a model for cemetery planning in Galicia. The cemetery, covering 1.54 hectares at Rymanowska Street, was rectangular and divided into four quarters: I, II, III, and IV. Four main pathways converged at the center, where a Gothic Revival chapel was built for Józefa Habermann and her family, approved by city authorities for a 250 PLN perpetual endowment. Beksiński's plan allocated 2,842 burial plots: 4 for distinguished individuals, 172 permanent masonry graves, 436 permanent standard graves, and 2,230 temporary graves. Plots along the main pathways were reserved for prominent citizens, with four central plots around the chapel, while the periphery was designated for the poor.
By July 1895, the cemetery at Rymanowska Street was equipped with a gate, fencing, hedgerows, pathways, drainage ditches, leveled terrain, and a roofed chapel. On 24 October 1895, the City Council set fees, established regulations, and appointed city gardener Józef Ursa as gravedigger. The cemetery was consecrated on All Souls' Day, 2 November 1895, in the presence of City Council members, Roman and Greek Catholic clergy, and residents. The 1898 budget allocated 600 PLN for a mortuary building. On 11 November 1895, an adjacent western section for residents of and – then outside city limits – was consecrated, with trees provided by. Trees were planted along the pathways in mid-1896.
With the opening of the new cemetery at Rymanowska Street and another at Posada Olchowska, the Jan Matejko Street cemetery was closed on 1 December 1895. On 24 September 1896, councilor Dr. raised concerns about tombstones facing away from pathways, contrary to proper alignment.
The cemetery served Roman and Greek Catholic burials. Beksiński's design planned for closure after 50 years, in 1946. In 1931, the cemetery building was located at 46 Rymanowska Street. The total area, per Beksiński's design, is 2.49 hectares. Historian noted that one of the oldest surviving tombstones is that of Józef Hellebrand, a retired forest manager who died on 30 November 1898 at age 82. Two entrances, including a main gate leading to the old chapel, were established from Rymanowska Street.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a cemetery fund existed, and grave numbers were marked on posts. At that time, on All Saints' Day, 1 November, members of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul held collections at both the old cemetery and the new one. In the second half of the 20th century, on All Saints' Day, 1 November, a solemn Roman Catholic Mass was celebrated by the historic chapel in the cemetery.
Current area and state
Over time, the cemetery area was expanded by incorporating adjacent land. After burial space was exhausted at the old cemetery on Rymanowska Street, a special cemetery commission in 1921 recommended continuing interments at the old cemetery on Matejko Street, suggesting the purchase of adjacent plots. A resolution by the City Council on 22 August 1922 approved exchanging other land to the owners of the plots adjoining the old cemetery on Matejko Street. In modern times, the expansion proceeded westward from the original cemetery areas along Matejko and Rymanowska streets, and land between the two parts was also incorporated, resulting in a unified cemetery area encompassing both existing and newly added grounds. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, burials took place in the so-called "new section" of the Matejko Street cemetery in an "Avenue of the Meritorious", where individuals associated with the Polish People's Republic regime were laid to rest. In the early 1980s, efforts were undertaken to integrate the burial areas on and around Jan Matejko Street. Eventually, the Central Cemetery came to encompass the area bounded by the streets Rymanowska, Roman Dmowski, Kiczury, Głogowa, and Dąbrowiecka. The entire cemetery area is crossed by Jan Brzechwa Street. On the side of Głogowa Street, the Central Cemetery borders the new Jewish cemetery. At the center of the current cemetery grounds stands a municipal funeral home, whose construction began in 1988. The interior polychromes were created by. Also in 1988, proposed the renovation and marking of graves belonging to individuals meritorious to the city.Human remains uncovered between 1935 and 1936 at the site of the former were buried at the cemetery. During archaeological work on Zamkowa Street near the local Orthodox church, human remains – likely from a 17th-century cemetery – were also discovered and subsequently transferred to the Sanok cemetery.
In July 1987, the cemetery was the site of break-ins into some of its oldest burial crypts and coffins, which were looted and robbed. Between late 1994 and early 1995, several acts of vandalism occurred at the cemetery, resulting in damage to gravestones, the Insurgents Cross, and military burial plots. In 2000, a new fence was erected along Rymanowska Street, 500 juniper shrubs were planted, and several pathways were renovated. In the early 21st century, two columbarium walls were built along the cemetery's western edge, parallel to Roman Dmowski Street, designed to house cremation urns. By resolution of 21 July 2011, the Sanok City Council introduced the Regulations for Municipal Cemeteries located within Gmina Sanok.
As of 1 August 2012, vehicular traffic through the cemetery along Jan Brzechwa Street, between its junctions with Roman Dmowski and with Dąbrowiecka and Głogowa streets, was prohibited by city authorities for legal and safety reasons. The cemetery remains accessible at all hours via pedestrian gates. In spring and summer 2014, renovation and modernization works were carried out, including the construction of a parking lot, the beginning of a fence around the Polish soldiers' burial section, and conservation works. Later in 2014, the parking lot was completed, the interior of the funeral chapel was renovated and modernized, two cemetery alleys were asphalted, and a second columbarium wall was built, providing 120 burial niches accessible from both sides. Until 2015, the cemetery was managed by a private funeral company. On 1 May 2017, the Sanok Municipal Housing Management Company took over administration on behalf of the City of Sanok.
The total area of the Central Cemetery is just under 8 hectares. As of 2019, the cemetery plan identifies six zones:
- 1 – the old section along Rymanowska Street, including plots for Polish soldiers and Red Army soldiers;
- 2 – the area between the old Rymanowska section and Jan Brzechwa Street;
- 3 – the grounds surrounding the funeral chapel;
- 4 – the old section along Jan Matejko Street;
- 5 – a triangular area at the intersection of Jan Brzechwa and Głogowa streets;
- 6 – the section adjacent to Głogowa and Kiczury streets.
Military quarters and burials
After the end of World War II, a military cemetery was established in the northern part of the old Rymanowska Street section, consisting of two quarters: one for Polish soldiers and one for Red Army soldiers, with a total area of 1,650 m². In 1958, the area was enclosed with a hedge, and the war graves were renovated by city authorities.Pre-1918 military cemetery
Historically, the cemetery contained graves of Austrian army soldiers. As of June 1914, there were graves of 34 officers and 67 soldiers. Subsequently, during World War I, 8,700 soldiers who perished were buried at the Sanok cemetery. Across the entire Sanok District, 12,247 soldiers were buried. After Poland's regained independence in 1918, in the 1920s, during the Second Polish Republic, this was one of three military cemeteries within the city of Sanok, covering an area of three-quarters of a Morgen and enclosed by a wooden fence. At that time, approximately 9,000 graves of those who died between 1914 and 1918 were estimated to exist, marked by wooden crosses, and their condition was deemed poor. A second military cemetery, located within the municipal cemetery, covered 50 m² with an unknown number of burials. This area, surrounded by concrete, featured three masonry monuments, one erected by Russians and another by Hungarians. By 1930, the military cemetery contained fallen soldiers from the Austrian and Russian armies, as well as Italians who died in captivity. Until then, the cemetery was maintained by Austrian, Russian, and later Polish authorities.After 1945, a monument with an inscription in Polish and German, "Mass grave of the 32nd Regiment", was present, identifying "Laszlo Garganyi" and topped with a crown. A preserved postcard indicates the existence of a grave for four Hungarian honvéd soldiers who died suddenly. Later, the Austrian military graves were removed, likely after World War II, and new graves were established in their place.
Polish soldiers' quarter
The cemetery includes a quarter for soldiers and officers of the Polish Armed Forces who died in battles for liberation between 1918 and 1948, including the Polish–Ukrainian War, the Polish–Soviet War, the Polish Defensive War of 1939, and conflicts with the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. According to a 1920s description, the third military cemetery, for those who fell in wars from 1918, was located north of the second cemetery. It contained approximately 300 graves, marked by wooden crosses, most of which were deteriorated, and was enclosed by wire. In the 1930s, Captain Father of the military parish of Christ the King, established at the stationed in Sanok, organized the quarter for soldiers who died between 1918 and 1920. Initially, there were 105 graves. The quarter includes burials of soldiers from the 2nd Podhale Rifle Regiment, as well as those who fought with the, the Internal Security Corps, and the Border Protection Forces. Among those buried are:- Lieutenant Colonel,
- Private Jan Goryl,
- Officers of the 8th Dresden Infantry Division killed by the Zuch Battalion under Captain :
- * Major,
- * Lieutenant Colonel,
- * Corporal,
- * Second Lieutenant,
- Officers of the :
- * Second Lieutenant,
- * Captain .
- Second Lieutenant Zbigniew Królicki,
- Sergeant Kazimierz Kokoszka,
- Piotr Palmowski,
- Senior Warrant Officer Karol Gurgacz, and his wife Maria.
The quarter contains 154 individual graves, two mass graves, and one symbolic mass grave with a monument. The monument features a vertical flag of Poland with an eagle at the top. It bears a Virtuti Militari cross and a plaque inscribed: "In homage to the fallen. Sanok community". Designed by Edmund Królicki and overseen by Tadeusz Wilk, the monument was completed before 1 November 1959. The quarter was surrounded by a hedge for many years. Between 1980 and 1983, renovations included installing uniform concrete crosses with white marble identification plaques on each grave.
Between 2011 and 2012, the graves were renovated, including repainting. In 2013, plans were made to fence the quarter. In 2014, the western half of the surrounding hedge was replaced with fencing.
German burials from 1939
After the outbreak of World War II, soldiers of the Wehrmacht who fell during the September Campaign of 1939 were buried at the Rymanowska Street cemetery. Their remains were exhumed in 1995 and reinterred at the military cemetery in Przemyśl, consecrated on 7 October 1995.Red Army soldiers' quarter
In the western part of the Central Cemetery lies the Red Army soldiers' quarter, established on the site of a former Austrian soldiers' cemetery, which was leveled for this purpose. Exhumations of Red Army soldiers' remains across the Rzeszów Voivodeship were conducted by a special expedition group from the Ministry of Municipal Economy, with the permanent military cemetery in Sanok nearing completion by late 1953. The quarter contains soldiers who died in 1944 during battles on the Eastern Front for the so-called liberation of the Sanok Land. The deceased were from the 101st Army Corps of the 38th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front. Initially, Red Army soldiers were buried in Sanok's city center on the eastern slope of Adam Mickiewicz Park and elsewhere in Sanok County, with their remains later exhumed by the Municipal Economy Enterprise and transferred to the cemetery quarter. Later sources date the cemetery's establishment to 1951–1953, during which exhumations occurred.A total of 2,969 soldiers were buried in the quarter. Over time, individual plaques commemorating specific soldiers were added, with inscriptions in Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian, and Georgian. Buried soldiers include Majors and, Captains and, Senior Lieutenant, and.
A main avenue, lined with chestnut trees, leads from the gate to a commemorative obelisk with a red star at its center, measuring 4 m x 4 m = 16 m² at the base. During the Polish People's Republic, the graves were maintained by Sanok scouts and the city's Polish–Soviet Friendship Society branch. Until the 1980s, school students cleaned the graves before the October Revolution holiday. In 2012, six mass graves in the quarter were renovated.
Commemorative and historic monuments
Insurgents Cross
Originally, a monument titled "Monument to Those Fallen in the National Struggles of 1830–31 and 1863" was planned shortly after the establishment of the cemetery on Rymanowska Street in 1896. The monument, designed by engineer Władysław Beksiński, was to consist of an oak cross placed on a mound of stone boulders, featuring a marble plaque for commemoration and surrounded by columns connected by a chain. It was intended to be located in one of four free plots reserved for distinguished individuals in the central part of the new cemetery.The current oak Insurgents Cross is situated in the northwest corner of the old cemetery section on Rymanowska Street. Erected in 1923 by Sanok scouts and students of the Queen Sophia State Gymnasium, including Fritz Hotze,, Tadeusz Riedrich, and, it commemorates Polish independence uprisings. A plaque on the cross reads: "To the Heroes of 1831/63, Scouts 1923", crafted at the Sanok Wagon Factory. Scouts, including Zdzisław Peszkowski, took their Scout Promise at the cross. In 1958, the symbolic monument was renovated by city authorities. In 1980, a new plaque was added to the stone base, inscribed: "To the Heroes of Polish Uprisings 1980". On 11 November 1996, a new cross was consecrated, incorporating the original 1923 metal plaque, updated to read: "To the Heroes of 1831/63, Scouts 1923 1996", funded by Sanok native and then Chief Scout of Poland, Ryszard Pacławski. Additionally, a plaque on the vertical beam reads: "Ernest Bauman, 1831 Insurgent, Knight of Virtuti Militari, Poznań Cavalry Regiment". The monument is recognized as a historic object and is legally protected.
Mass graves
Along the main avenue leading from Rymanowska Street to the original cemetery chapel are two mass graves. The first is the Mausoleum of World War II Victims, established in autumn 1948. This tomb contains the ashes of victims from Sanok and Sanok Land, including those who fought on World War II fronts, resistance members, prisoners of Nazi concentration camps, and others murdered. The monument was initiated by the Sanok branch of the Polish Association of Former Political Prisoners of Nazi Prisons and Concentration Camps, with planning beginning in 1946. Designed by Stanisław Ryniak, an architect and former Auschwitz concentration camp prisoner, the mausoleum resembles a camp crematorium with a front opening and an obelisk resembling a chimney. The main plaque reads: They sacrificed blood, suffering, and life for the Homeland in World War II. Honor their memory". Inside, a bronze urn, crafted by association members employed at the Sanok Wagon Factory, holds soil from the Death Wall at Auschwitz concentration camp and other execution sites, including Gross-Rosen, Majdanek,, Hanusiska Forest, Falejówka,, Olchowce, and others, symbolically commemorating victims' remains.Over the years, a registry of fallen and murdered individuals from Sanok Land was compiled, finalized in the 1950s, with plans to engrave their names on bronze plaques for the mausoleum's walls. After delays, 12 plaques listing victims' names were installed on the side walls. Initially, 560 identities were listed, later updated to 576. The Sanok County branch of the Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy completed the project, renovating the mausoleum before installing the Kraków-made plaques. The unveiling ceremony occurred in August 1962 during Sanok's 800th anniversary celebrations. Previously, tin plaques with victims' names were used.
The mausoleum is colloquially known as the "Mausoleum of Auschwitz Victims" or "Auschwitz Victims' Monument". The plaques list World War II victims, including those from German concentration camps, executed by Germans at, Hanusiska Forest, Czarny Las, victims of the Katyn massacre, those who died in the Soviet Union, those murdered by the UPA, and those who fell at Monte Cassino. In 1978, the Sanok Bus Factory, responsible for the monument's maintenance, conducted renovation and conservation work, and students from Maria Skłodowska-Curie High School committed to cleaning the site.
The second symbolic mass grave, located just behind the Mausoleum of World War II Victims, commemorates those executed at. In November 1947, ceremonies in Sanok preceded the burial of exhumed remains of victims executed by Germans on 5–6 July 1940 on the slope of Gruszka Mountain near Tarnawa Dolna. These were 112 prisoners from, including former Captain, Captain, and, a professor at the Sanok gymnasium. The elongated grave is surrounded by a hedge. The monument, with a base of stacked stones, bears a plaque inscribed: "To the martyrs for freedom and democracy. Mass grave of Poles brutally murdered by Nazi thugs during the occupation of Sanok County from September 1939 to June 1944. Honor your memory". Atop the pedestal is a falcon sculpture by, originally intended in 1939 for the Sanok branch of the Sokół movement building. In 2012, the grave was renovated, and the falcon sculpture was repainted. In mid-2013, two plaques listing the names of those executed at Gruszka Mountain were added to the monument's sides.
Eastern Golgotha Cross and Memory Oaks
The Eastern Golgotha Cross monument commemorates victims of the Katyn massacre from Sanok and Sanok Land. Located in the western part of the cemetery near the mortuary, it was initiated by Father Zdzisław Peszkowski. The central element is the Cross of Memory for the Victims of the Polish Eastern Golgotha, consecrated on 10 November 2008.On 18 April 2009, as part of the "Katyn… We Remember"/"Katyn… Save from Oblivion" campaign, 21 Memory Oaks were planted around the cross in the so-called Katyn Alley, honoring Katyn massacre victims born in or connected to Sanok. On the second anniversary of Father Peszkowski's death, 8 October 2009, three additional Memory Oaks were planted. On the fifth anniversary, 8 October 2012, two more were added. In total, 26 officers and officials are commemorated. Research up to 2010 estimates over 60 individuals from Sanok and Sanok Land perished in the Katyn massacre. Scoutmaster was a co-initiator of the Eastern Golgotha monument and the planting of Memory Oaks.
Historic tombstones
The cemetery features modernist funerary art. Numerous tombstones, both individual and family tombs, are recognized as historic and legally protected. In 1978, due to the absence of a local conservator, a city group including,, and Krystyna Kilar inventoried 43 tombstones, identifying them as historically valuable and proposing their preservation. On 20 December 1982, the voivodeship conservator of monuments registered 65 objects: 49 in the Rymanowska Street section and 16 in the Matejko Street section, confirmed on 20 May 2009 by the Przemyśl Voivodeship Office for Monument Protection. In 2014, Sanok's municipal registry of monuments, published in 2015, listed 49 tombstones in the Rymanowska Street section and 16 in the Matejko Street section. This was reaffirmed in 2018.Some historic tombstones have lost their original appearance. Registered tombstones include those crafted in Lviv workshops.
Since 2010, the Association for the Care of Old Cemeteries in Sanok, established on 16 January 2009 with Ewa Filip as president, has undertaken conservation and restoration of tombstones. The first restored was tombstone in 2010. Subsequent restorations included Władysław Niedźwiecki and Maryan Truszkowski in 2011, the Heinrich family in 2012, Amalia Celestyna Świtalska in 2013, in 2015, and in 2016.
List of tombstones registered as monuments:
Jan Matejko Street section
- Beksiński family tomb:, Karolina.
- Tombstone of Grzegorz Hanulak.
- Tombstone of Balbina Germak.
- Germak family tomb: Jan, Maria.
- Tombstone of .
- Heinrich family tomb: Juliusz Heinrich,, Józefa Drozd née Heinrich.
- Kawski family tomb:, Czesława, Jadwiga Rudy.
- Konieczko family tomb: Wincenty, Teodozja, Seweryna Keller née Konieczko, Stanisława, Maria Keller, Apolonia Ostoja Świerczyńska.
- Löwy family tomb: Anna, Józef,, Halina.
- Tombstone of Władysław Niedźwiecki, son of Aleksander Niedźwiecki, the owner of Górki.
- Pollak family tomb: .
- Suszko family tomb: Michał Nuncjusz, Cyprian, Stanisława, Michał.
- Tombstone of Amalia Celestyna Świtalska.
- Tombstone of Maryan Truszkowski.
- Two unidentified 19th-century tombstones: one a cross and one a vault by.
Rymanowska Street section
- Baran family tomb: Franciszek, Anna.
- Baranowicz family tomb: Maria Anna, Jakub.
- Borczyk tombstone: Józef, Stanisław.
- Tombstone of .
- Tombstone of Maria Dobosz, daughter of Emil and Zofia Dobosz.
- Dembicki family tomb:, Oktawia, Adam, Klaudiusz, Jadwiga Pisarczuk.
- Tombstone of Father .
- Tombstone of Katarzyna Drwięga.
- Tombstone of Kazimiera Prus-Głowacka, née Bernatowicz, widow of Mieczysław Głowacki, a private official, and the mother of Helena, who was married to.
- Tombstone of Maria Górczyńska, daughter of Kazimierz and Stefania.
- Guzik family tomb: Jan, Honorata.
- Hoffman family tomb: Petronela Hoffman née Zaleska, Leon Zaleski.
- Tombstone of Maria Iwanowicz.
- Tombstone of Marian Bonawentura Jayko.
- Tombstone of Józefa Józefowicz, daughter of Jan and Marcianna née Bieleń, unmarried, died in Posada Sanocka of pleurisy.
- Keller family tombstone: Tadeusz, Zofia. Tadeusz and Zofia Keller were the children of Jan Keller and Seweryna Henryka Keller.
- Tombstone of Maria Kern née Truskolaska, widow of, with whom she had been married for 48 years. She died in Posada Sanocka.
- Konratowicz family tomb: Alfred, Leontyna.
- Tombstone of Olga Krawczyńska née Nawratil, died in Sanok due to sarcoma. She was the wife of and the mother of.
- Tombstone of Władysław Laurosiewicz, married to Aleksandra née Domańska, worked as a senior court official in Sanok, died of tuberculosis.
- Tombstone of.
- Tombstone of .
- Tombstone of Stanisław Leszczyński, son of and, head of the district labor office in Sanok and also assistant to the secretary of the District Council and Department in Sanok,. He was married to Helena née Janowska. He died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Płonna, where he was staying in connection with the funeral of.
- Tombstone of Feliks Wilhelm Limbach. Born in Stryj, he was unmarried and died on 19 January 1908 in Posada Sanocka.
- Lipiński family tomb:,,, Alfred Pohor Janowski, Anna Janowska, Walentyna Filipczak, . The tomb was restored at the city's expense in 1958.
- Tombstone of and Doctor .
- Tombstone of .
- Tombstone of Florian Nowak, retired tax adjoint, married to Malwina née Pszorn. His son was Dr. Zygmunt Nowak, a physician.
- Petschacher family tomb: Karol, Amalia ; Marianna Nowak.
- Pleszowski family tomb: Jasieńko-Zefircio, .
- Tombstone of .
- Tombstone of Zbigniew Praczyński, son of Jan and Stanisława.
- Tombstone of Anna Radomska née Terlecka, wife of Antoni.
- Tombstone of Józef Salamon.
- Samecki and Słuszkiewicz family tomb: Jan Samecki, Maria Samecka, Stefania Słuszkiewicz, Maria Słuszkiewicz.
- Tombstone of Zbigniew Schwarz. In the heritage register description, mistakenly listed as "the tombstone of Zbyszko Szywarz".
- Tombstone of Zofia Siekierzyńska, daughter of Karol Sr. and the sister of, among others, .
- Słuszkiewicz family tomb:, Paulina.
- Tombstone of Father .
- Sulimierski family tomb:, Maria.
- Tombstone of .
- Tombstone of Olga Ścibor-Rylska, daughter of Ludmiła and, died from malignant melanoma.
- Tombstone of Bronisława Ślączka.
- Tombstone of .
- Tombstone of Ludwik Święch.
- Tombstone of Magdalena Truskolaska.
- Insurgents Cross.
- Two unidentified tombstones from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries: one depicting a sculpture of an angel, the other the grave of Jadwiga Kielanowska.
The original tombstone of Józio and Staś Borczyk no longer exists. Both deceased are mentioned in the inscription on tomb, which is located in the previous location of the historic tombstone.
Burials in the cemetery
Knights of the Virtuti Militari Order
People awarded the Virtuti Militari Order who were buried at the Central Cemetery in Sanok:- Doctor, physician in the 14th Infantry Regiment of the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw, participant in the 1812 campaign, district physician in the Sanok district.
- , non-commissioned officer of the Poznań Cavalry Regiment, November Uprising insurgent, engineer.
- Captain, pilot, participant in World War I and the Polish–Soviet War.
- Second Lieutenant, scout, company commander, participated and died in the Polish–Soviet War.
- Lieutenant Colonel, legionary, officer of the Polish Army, commander of the 2nd Podhale Rifle Regiment from 1935 to 1936.
- Major, soldier of the 82nd Siberian Infantry Regiment, participant in the Polish–Soviet War.
- Private Rifleman Jan Goryl, soldier of the 8th Dresden Infantry Division and the 34th Budziszyn Infantry Regiment.
- Major, participant in four wars: World War I and II, the Polish–Ukrainian War, and the Polish–Soviet War.
- Corporal, legionary, participant in the Polish–Ukrainian War, employee in the oil industry.
- Lieutenant, non-commissioned officer of the Polish Army of the Second Republic of Poland, soldier of the Home Army, officer of the Border Protection Corps.
- Senior Sergeant, participant in four wars: World War I and II, the Polish–Ukrainian War, and the Polish–Soviet War, persecuted by the communist authorities after 1945.
- Captain, officer of the Home Army, organizer of courier routes during World War II, museum curator, founder of the Open-Air Museum in Sanok.
- Captain, officer, local government activist, member of the Sejm of the Second Republic of Poland, lawyer.
- Jan Łożański, officer of the Home Army, multiple cross-border courier on the Warsaw–Budapest route, persecuted and imprisoned by the communist authorities after the war.
- Lieutenant Colonel, officer of the Polish People's Army, activist of the Association of Polish Soldiers.
- Lieutenant Colonel, officer of the Polish Army and Polish Armed Forces in the West, participant in World War II in the September Campaign and on the Western Front, persecuted by the communist authorities after the war, councilor of Sanok.
- Colonel, officer, during World War II acted in the Polish Army, Home Army, Freedom and Independence, commander of the 15th Infantry Regiment "Wilków", participant in Operation Storm, persecuted and imprisoned by the communist authorities after the war, civil engineer.
- Captain, officer of the Border Guard of the Second Republic of Poland, participant in four wars: World War I and II, the Polish–Ukrainian War, and the Polish–Soviet War, officer of the Polish Army.
- Lieutenant Colonel, officer of the Polish Army, participant in World War II, fights with the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.
- Colonel, officer of the Polish Armed Forces in the West, participant in the Western Front battles during World War II.
- Brigadier General Pilot, reserve non-commissioned officer of the Polish Air Force of the Second Republic of Poland, colonel pilot of the Polish Air Forces, second lieutenant of the Royal Air Force, appointed to the rank of brigadier general in 2016.
- Major, participant in the underground resistance during World War II and the Warsaw Uprising, imprisoned by the communist regime of the Polish People's Republic.
Other military personnel and officers
- Participants of the November Uprising of 1830/1831:
- *,
- *,
- *,
- * .
- Participants of the January Uprising of 1863:
- *, Walerian Weiss,
- * Marceli Tomżyński,
- *,
- * Michał Zbiegień,
- * Maksymilian Kamiński,
- * Józef Wieniawa Kossowicz.
- Military personnel of the Austro-Hungarian Army and the Imperial-Royal Landwehr:
- * 2nd Lieutenant,
- * Captain Wojciech Krystyński,
- * Senior Lieutenant Alfred Konratowicz,
- * Soldiers of the 45th Infantry Regiment of Austria-Hungary:
- ** 2nd Lieutenant Oscar Holfeld,
- ** Sergeant Jan Wilusz,
- ** Jan Tytus Pokorny.
- Soldiers fallen in the Battle of Khyriv:
- * Corporal Wacław Ślaski, 2nd Lieutenant Stanisław Sas Korczyński, Private Mieczysław Chmura,
- * Section Chief Wilhelm Czownicki.
- Soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces:
- * Zbigniew Jastrzębiec Strzelecki,
- * 2nd Lieutenant Ignacy Borowski.
- Officers of the imperial-royal police and the State Police:
- * Inspector Jan Mozołowski,
- * Senior Policeman Wojciech Zawieja and Senior Policeman Marcin Lechowicz – both killed during a chase after bandits in a train,
- * Policeman Marian Bruss.
- Participants of World War II:
- * Lieutenant Colonel Stanisław Józef Sławiński,
- * Captain Dr. Gustaw Kosiba,
- * Jan Grzebień, codenamed Krępacz.
- * Participants of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944:
- ** Captain,
- **,
- ** Mikołaj Kasprowicz,
- **,
- **,
- ** 2nd Lieutenant Wanda Komska,
- ** 2nd Lieutenant,
- ** Zdzisława Trznadel,
- **,
- ** Major .
Symbolic graves
- Killed in the Polish–Soviet War:
- * 2nd Lieutenant/Captain Tadeusz Prochownik.
- Victims of World War II:
- * Victims of German repression, concentration camps, and extermination during World War II:
- ** Victims of Auschwitz concentration camp:
- *** Kazimierz Dulęba,
- *** Wojciech Sieńko,
- *** Michał Ekert.
- ** Maria Kosina.
- * World War II participants buried abroad:
- ** Major Stanisław Szczupak,
- ** Captain Engineer Edward Świderski,
- ** 2nd Lieutenant Ignacy Szczupak.
Other individuals
Clergy and monks
- Parsons of the Parish of the Transfiguration:
- *,
- *,
- *,
- * .
- Franciscan monks:
- * Brother Medart Teneta,
- * Father Błażej Wierdak.
- Father Canon Andrzej Moskal.
- Common burial plot of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul.
Officials and local government representatives
- , mayor of Sanok.
- Antoni Lenik.
- Legal officials:
- * Eugeniusz Szatyński,
- * Franciszek Filipczak,
- * Dr. Andrzej Madeja.
- Local government officials:
- * Karol Dręgiewicz,
- * Jerzy Drozd.
Teachers and education workers
- Józef Grotowski,
- Władysław Łukaszewicz.
Artists and media personalities
- Stanisław de Mirow Myszkowski,
- Czesława Dorec-Czarniecka née Starawska.
Scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs
- Piotr Radwański,
- Dr. Eng. Jacek Szczepkowski,
- Ludwik Dankmayer.
Others
- Wilhelmina Tertil née Płońska, wife of Robert Tertil and mother of.
- Julia Starosolska, daughter of, wife of Joachim, mother of.
In culture
- According to the novel The Good Soldier Švejk by Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek, in 1915, the XI March Company of Švejk was stationed at the Imperial-Royal Gymnasium in Sanok, where several Hungarian soldiers poisoned themselves with formalin consumed from the school's biological specimens. The deceased were reportedly buried at the cemetery on Rymanowska Street. Among them was Laszlo Garganyi, a honvéd from the march battalion of the 91st Infantry Regiment, mentioned by the writer.
- Soviet soldier and writer, in his book Odsłonięte skrzydło, described his multiple visits in 1972 to the Soviet soldiers' cemetery in Sanok.
- The Central Cemetery in Sanok was the subject of a 1991 publication by Stefan Stefański titled Cmentarze sanockie and a 2005 publication by Paweł Nestorowicz titled Boża rola. Przyczynek do historii cmentarzy sanockich w 110-tą rocznicę konsekracji cmentarza przy ul. Rymanowskiej. Objects existing at the Central Cemetery in Sanok were mentioned in a 2015 publication by Adam Szary titled Bieszczadzkie motywy roślinne między światem żywych a krainą zmarłych.
- Poet Janusz Szuber referenced the cemetery in his poem Tableau, published in the 2005 collection Mojość.