Vagankovo Cemetery is one of the largest in Moscow and is located in the northwestern part of the city, near Krasnopresnenskaya Zastava Square, at 15 Sergei Makeev Street. Its area is 47.9 hectares.

The cemetery was founded in 1771, although the first burials in the territory of the village of Novoe Vagankovo appeared as early as 1696. By decree of the Governing Senate, this area was designated for the burial of victims of the plague epidemic. Twenty outlying plots were allocated for those who died from the disease, including this village. The first burials were mass graves, the deceased were not given a funeral service, and visits were rare due to the fear of infection. Nameless crosses were erected at the graves.

As Moscow expanded, so did the cemetery, which officially entered the city limits in 1906. Initially, it was not considered prestigious, as nobles preferred monastery necropolises. However, in the 19th and 20th centuries, Vagankovo Cemetery became a traditional burial place for representatives of the creative intelligentsia, such as artists Vasily Surikov and Alexei Savrasov, as well as scientist Kliment Timiryazev.

The cemetery also contains mass graves. The mass grave of workers from the Prokhorovskaya Manufactory, who died in December 1905, is located on Timiryazevskaya Alley. At the first section near the fence is the mass grave of railway workers from the Moscow hub. In 1941 and 1942, burials of participants in the Battle of Moscow and victims of aerial bombings of the capital appeared here.

Due to its large size, the cemetery is divided into 60 sections of varying sizes, making navigation easier. In 2019, a tourist office was opened here, offering visits to notable burials accompanied by historians and local historians.

Vagankovo Cemetery is home to 259 cultural heritage sites.