Malvazinky Cemetery

This is where medical breakthroughs meet musical legends. On a hillside in the Smíchov district, Malvazinky Cemetery has been the final resting place for some of the most remarkable figures since 1876. Here lies Jan Janský, a physician who saved millions of lives without most people knowing his name. Born in 1873, Janský was researching psychiatric patients in 1907 when he made an accidental discovery. He found that human blood could be divided into four distinct groups: A, B, AB, and O. While Austrian scientist Karl Landsteiner won the Nobel Prize for identifying three blood groups, it was Janský who first correctly classified all four types. His work made safe blood transfusions possible. He died in 1921 at age 48, but every blood donation today honors his discovery. The cemetery also holds Karel Gott, the Golden Voice of Prague. Born in 1939, Gott became the most successful singer in Czech history. He won the Czech Nightingale award 42 times and sold over 50 million records worldwide. His voice captivated audiences from Moscow to New York's Carnegie Hall. When he died in 2019 from leukemia, 49,000 mourners waited in a five kilometer line to pay their respects.