A new guide to the Monumentale Cemetery of Milan

A revised edition of the guide first published in 2013 is now available from most e-commerce bookstores.  It is a 216 pages volume with brilliant photographs of celebrated and less known monuments, mausolea and statues. A guide dedicated to visitors, tourists and all those who are eager to discover and get acquainted with the treasures hidden between the tree-lined avenues of this open-air museum. One of the most important in Europe and acclaimed by over 100,000 visitors per year.  The included maps  to walk round section by section make identification of the selected artworks easier. Information about the relevant architects and sculptors as well as historical and artistic details are also provided.

A unique performance at the Monumentale of Milan

Saturday, 25th September, at 9pm the Monumentale Cemetery will host the play "Uomini liberi. Ambrogio e Agostino" staged on a Ape Car, a three-wheeled utility vehicle.

Brainchild of Amici del Monumentale, Moto Teatro and Socrem-Milano (Cremation Society of Milan), whose president, Giovanni Bossi, donates this special performance in remembrance of all Milanese citizens who died from Covid.

Giacomo Poretti, a leading cinema and theatre actor, is the only player.  In the background, Milan to represent the place where the German Ambrogio, Bishop of the city meets Agostino, an African rhetoric teacher. Foreigners and the city of Milan as a welcoming and demanding mother that keeps urging its children to acknowledge the responsibility of their talent whilst guiding them to realize the true sense of freedom. Giacomo Poretti's performance will be accompanied by the  flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn of the Quintetto Notturno Clandestino. Free entrance. A donation for the restoration of  the tomb of Carlo Maciachini, the architect of the Monumentale, is appreciated.

From history to history - Monumental cemetery of Turin (ITA)

 

link

A collective story that has crossed the places of
Vanchiglia, Madonna del Pilone and Borgo Dora, tracing the thin thread of
memory that binds the memories of the people who today live in the streets and
squares of the 7th District, to those of the characters who lived there and
whose graves are found in the Monumental cemetery and in the Sassi cemetery.
Among the characters of the past come back to life with the power of the story,
Giulia Colbert, Giacinto Pacchiotti, Ada Gobetti, Francesco Cirio, the Biolley
family and the chantosa Isa Bluette.

At 4.15 pm, the last animated walk will take place
among the historic tombs of Cirio (founder of the tomato industry), Isa bluette
(stage name of Teresa Ferrero, worker of the Tobacco Factory who has become a
famous actress who is responsible for the discovery of Totò and Macario) and
the Biolley family (armory suppliers for the Royal House) at the Campo
Evangelico. 15 places available.

At 6 pm, on the other hand, “Tomatoes, Theater and
cannons“, the final theatrical representation of this collective narrative will
be staged at the Campo della Gloria (the partisans' cubes). Entrance at 5.45 pm
from Corso Regio Parco 80. 100 seats available.


For information : 3473120419 or segreteria@pentesilea.org

Salgótarjáni Street Jewish Cemetery (Budapest, Hungary)

Salgótarjáni Street Jewish Cemetery is a monument protected in its entirety and it recalls the 20th century tragedy of Hungary’s Jewry.

About the cemetery

The Salgótarjáni Street Jewish Cemetery lies next to the Fiumei Road Cemetery and is separated from it only by a stone wall. The two of them represent the most prestigious cemeteries in Hungary where important personalities of the public, political and economic life, scientists, artists and athletes are buried. People who defined the history of Hungary in the 19th and 20th century. Both cemeteries are also unique for their architectural elements and tomb sculptures.

Much of the unparalleled built heritage of Salgótarjáni Street Jewish Cemetery is provided by the mausoleums of the business elite arising during the Age of Dualism. Furthermore, the remarkable atmosphere of this cemetery, which was opened to visitors in 2016, is given by the particular symbiosis of buildings and vegetation.

The cemetery recalls the 20th century tragedy of Hungary’s Jewry. For example, there is the mausoleum – ornamented with Jewish symbols and Hungarian motifs – of Vilmos Vázsonyi, the first Hungarian minister of Jewish origin, but there is also a memorial to the victims of the Budapest Ghetto, many of whom are buried here.

Important graves and monuments

Ceremony building (1908)

This building was designed by Béla Lajta. The tomb of Rachel of Bethlehem served as a model for its design. The dome collapsed decades ago, but the renovation is planned. Also the tomb of Vilmos Vázsonyi, the first minister of Jewish religion can be found near here.

József Zwack (1916)

József Zwack was a liqueur and distillery manufacturer. He founded the well-known Zwack Unicum factory, which brand is now known all around Europe. He patented the Unicum brand and recipe in 1883. 

 
Ármin Herz (1917)

Herz Ármin is the founder of a salami factory. He made the Hungarian production of salami covered with noble mold a success. His brand became a Hungaricum (a thing or phenomenon unique to Hungary and representing great value) in 2014.

Graves of ghetto victims in Budapest (1945)

The grave of those who died in the Budapest ghetto and were buried in the graveyard after the liberation of the ghetto. According to cemetery books 2.700 people rest here.

Mausoleums along the walls (19th century - early 20th century)

There are 147 mausoleums in the cemetery, of which 126 are located along the cemetery walls. Building mausoleums is a unique feature of the neolog Jewish burial, which is unique also in Europe. Among them the Weiss Family (founder of Manfréd Weiss Steel and Metal Works in Csepel) and the Hatvany-Deutsch family (mayor producer in milling and sugar industry) are the most important.

Cemetery location

6 Salgótarjáni Street,
Budapest, 1086
Hungary

Postal address

16-18 Fiumei Street,
Budapest, 1086
Hungary

Contacts

Janos Prutkay
E-mail: janos.prutkay@nori.gov.hu
Phone: +36 70 382 90 57

Tourist information

The cemetery is opened from Sunday to Friday, and it is closed during Jewish religious celebrations.

Visitors can register for guided tours in advance. The tours are free of charge.

It can be reached by trams 37 and 37A.

More info on the website https://zsidotemeto.nori.gov.hu

Fiumei Road Cemetery (Budapest, Hungary)

The Fiumei Road Cemetery contains one of Hungary’s largest collections of statues and a fascinating arboretum-like landscaped area that has avenues harbouring 10 species of trees and 110 different birds.

About the cemetery

The Fiumei Road Cemetery was opened on the 1st of April, 1849 as a new public cemetery and by the turn of the century it became a national pantheon. Since the cemetery functioned as a public cemetery for a long time, the composition of those who rest here is extremely mixed, both nationally and religiously.

The cemetery lies next to the Salgótarjáni Street Jewish Cemetery and is separated from it only by a stone wall. The two of them represent the most prestigious cemeteries in Hungary where important personalities of the public, political and economic life, scientists, artists and athletes are buried. People who defined the history of Hungary in the 19th and 20th century. Both cemeteries are also very unique for their architectural elements and tomb sculptures. The 56-hectare green area of the Fiumei Road Cemetery in the centre of Budapest also serves as a recreational place for those living in the area.

Cemetery highlights

Wall tombs (after 1849)

The wall tombs were established after the opening of the cemetery, as most prestigious burial places for the citizens of the capital city. Its significance lies in the fact that this is a part of the cemetery that has been an unchanged, unified, cohesive part of the Fiumei Road Cemetery since its opening in 1849.

Arcade buildings (earley 20th century)

Once these spots for representative tombs were sold out, a complex of arcade buildings was established in the early 20th century with the aim of serving as the most representative burial site of the cemetery. The row of arcades, built in Art Nouveau style on the basis of the Italian example, consists of the richest tombstones of the capital, designed by the most famous sculptors of the period. The domes are decorated with mosaics covered in 23.5 carat gold leaf.

Apponyi mourning carriage (between 1928 and 1932)

At the entrance of the cemetery the "Apponyi mourning carriage" is presented. The nearly four-meter-high, five-and-a-half-meter-long carriage is considered to be one of the largest mourning carriages in the world. It was manufactured in Budapest between 1928 and 1932 and was used only four times for highly prestigious, protocol burials of famous statesman.

Important graves and monuments

Batthyány Mausoleum (1872-1874)

The mausoleum was designed by Albert Schikedanz and it is a highly prestigious building in its simple, terraced design. The decorative elements of the building are stone lions on both sides of the staircase, as well as reliefs on the walls: a portrait of Lajos Batthyány, the family coat of arms, and the Hungarian national coat of arms. A staircase leads down inside of the mausoleum. The special feature of the building is that it is only large mausoleum in the cemetery where free-standing coffins can be seen.

Deák Mausoleum (1887)

The mausoleum was designed by Kálmán Gerster. The dome of the 26-meter-high Neo-Renaissance mausoleum is covered with ornamental tiles from the famous Zsolnay porcelain factory. There is a 6 meter high bronze angel statue on the dome. The symbolic sarcophagus of Ferenc Deák can be seen inside the building. (This is the second sarcophagus as the original was destroyed during World War II.) The interior walls of the mausoleum are decorated with frescoes (covered with glass mosaics) of the allegorical figures of the four main virtues. 

Kossuth Mausoleum (1902-1909)

The designers of this mausoleum were Kálmán Gerster and Alajos Stróbl. It is the largest funeral building in Hungary. The structure of the upper level evokes the Parthenon in Athens. At the top of the tomb a group of statues represent the revolution and the war of independence. Above the entrance, the female figure of Hungária, the symbol of the nation griefs the deceased on her throne. Two stone panthers on both sides of the staircase guard the entrance. The centrepiece of the mausoleum in form of a Greek Cross is a elaborately decorated sarcophagus made of green onyx. The interior walls are covered with mosaics of Murano glass gilded with 23.5 carat gold. The family members of Lajos Kossuth rest in the side of the mausoleum.

The tomb of József Antall (1999)

The grave memorial around the actual tomb was designed by Miklós Melocco. József Antall was the first democratically elected prime minister of the Hungarian Government after the regime change of 1989. The artwork depicts shrouded horseman figures pulling in four different directions, displaying both ancient Hungarian and Christian motifs at the same time. 

The grave of Imre Kertész (2019)

Designers are Rita Czakó and Máté Takács. In 2002, writer Imre Kertész won the Nobel Prize for Literature for “Fatelessness”, his autobiographically inspired novel about Holocaust. The tombstone is a bronze column with an open door. The door leads to immortality, eternity, infinity. On the back of the tomb you can read a quote from Imre Kertész's note "love redeems". 

Address

Fiumei Road Cemetery
16-18 Fiumei Street,
Budapest, 1086
Hungary

Contacts

Janos Prutkay
E-mail: janos.prutkay@nori.gov.hu
Phone: +36 70 382 90 57

Tourist information

The cemetery is opened every day of the year and offers free of charge guided tours for visitors.

It is located just a few minutes’ walk from the Keleti railway station where metro lines 2 and 4 stop.

More info on the website https://fiumeiutisirkert.nori.gov.hu

How our AGM’s have evolved

A personal retrospective on the past Annual General Meetings and their evolution over the years.

To celebrate ASCE 20th anniversary, I thought it would be nice to look back at all our past AGM’s. Also, I hope to make you aware of the key personalities in our history.

ASCE has done a great deal more than host AGM’s. This perspective will allow us a look back at how we have grown into the organisation we are today. An association which has adapted to meet the needs of our members and the increased threats to cemetery heritage.

AGM 2001: Bologna, Italy

In 2001 our founder and first president, Mauro Felicori was a manager at Bologna Certosa when he had the idea of a European wide “club” of cemeteries, as he called it.

From the beginning he felt it was important that the club should meet once a year at the end of the summer. On the 10th November 2001 the first AGM took place in Bologna, attended by around 30 delegates from 8 countries. It took place over a single day and there were no presentations. Understandably the time was taken up formulating a governing document and electing a steering group and president. That governing document stated the following aims;

1. To encourage experience and best practice.
2. To work together on common projects.
3. To awaken the national and European Institutions on the importance of cemeteries in the European heritage.
4. To encourage the attention of the Universities.
5. To promote the necessary legal innovations.
6. To draw attention to the media and tourist publishing.
7. To use new technologies more and better.

Our aims have remained much the same to this day, although there is now a greater emphasis on the care and protection of cemeteries.

The first AGM closed with a tour of the Certosa Monumental Cemetery and the element of a cemetery tour has continued to this day. Key figures at that first AGM were Anders Norsell from Stockholm, who was to take an increasing role in the management of ASCE in the coming years. Maria Luisa Yzaguirre made her first appearance and she would go onto to become our president in 2007. The most important figure and very much the initial guiding light for ASCE was Mauro Felicori, who was elected as our first president.

AGM 2002: Vilnius, Lithuania

In 2002 Vilnius in Lithuania hosted the second AGM and around 30 delegates attended. Presentations were given to the delegates on the theme of, “European Cemeteries, History, Research and Restoration”. The focus was very much on the academic and this reflected the importance that Mauro Felicori attached to establishing our association as a valid academic body, with peer review of papers presented.

AGM 2003: Barcelona, Spain

In 2003 ASCE went to Barcelona, courtesy of Jordi Valmaña, general manager of CBSA, the managing company for Barcelona cemeteries. Jordi’s keen support and the backing of CBSA has been invaluable to ASCE. However, records of this AGM are thin and sadly even the theme was not recorded. We do know that the number of delegates attending had increased to around 45.

AGM 2004: Genoa, Italy

In 2004 ASCE returned to Italy and Genoa Commune hosted the AGM with incredible generosity. One of the venues was also used by the G8 summit! Attendance had increased to over 50 delegates with 16 countries represented. It was my first AGM and I remember sitting in awe of the baroque decor. To match the surroundings the programme was ambitious and for the first time extended to three days.

Thursday was a half day formal AGM and on the Friday the programme started at 8.30 in the morning and finished at 18.30 with 19 speakers, no less! Fifteen of the presentations were academic, although four were pragmatic including one entitled, “The scanning of sculpture using laser techniques”. Amongst the speakers was Prof. Javier Rodríguez Barberán from Seville, who would later serve on our scientific committee for some years. Also present for the first time was Martin Ernerth from Berlin, who serves on the steering group today.

On the third day was a half day tour of the magnificent Staglieno cemetery. Another enhancement was the introduction of a gala dinner on Friday. At Genoa it was suitably ambitious and was held on a roof top overlooked by a flood lit medieval tower. A lot of the presentations were not in English and the hosts introduced translation services for the first time. Not put off in the least by the staggering standards set by Genoa, Martin Ernerth offered to host the next AGM.

AGM 2005: Berlin, Germany

In 2005 the Berlin AGM was significant as it was hosted by volunteers who represented the significant churchyards and cemeteries of Berlin. Also supporting the event were the Friends of Stahnsdorf, managed by Olaf Ihlefeldt, who is still part of the management of ASCE today. The event included a visit to the very rural Stahnsdhorf cemetery where Friedrich Alfred Krupp’s grave was the biggest I have ever seen, half an acre no less!

An election of officers took place and Mauro Felicori was re-elected president. For the first time a steering group was also elected. The programme was for the first time largely pragmatic with presentations looking at the differing cemetery cases of each country.

For the first time there was a workshop to take conclusions forward. Also it was the first attendance of Gunnar Wik from Bergen, Norway, who provided firm guidance on the steering group for a number of years. Finally, for the first time a printed record of the largely pragmatic presentations was made. Possibly this was prompted by the first attendance of Julie Rugg, the English academic who would take a position on the scientific committee. Also attending for the first time was our current president Lidija Pliberšek.

 

AGM 2006: Verona, Italy

In 2006 ASCE returned to Italy to Verona and despite the attractive venue only 59 delegates attended. However, the AGM had 34 speakers! To this day that is the most packed programme we have had and in order for it to happen the programme extended to the whole of Thursday as it does to this day. Verona also marked the high tide of academic presentations as all but one was academic with titles such as, “Metamorphism and the maiden in Liberty funeral sculpture”.

At the programme finish time the speakers were still going strong but not so the translators who walked out at 18.30, complaining: “Too many speaks”. Gunnar Wik then started the "English only" argument which was to eventually win out. Despite my nationality I think that is a little sad, as each language has its own beauty and added to the atmosphere of the AGM’s.

AGM 2007: Stavanger and Sandnes, Norway

In 2007 we headed north to Stavanger in Norway and it became clear which way the wind blew for the Scandinavian countries with almost a complete turnaround in the programme content. As we looked at the problems of cemetery management and emerging trends, the speakers were not academics but landscape architects and cemetery managers. The AGM saw a further expansion as it ran to the end of Saturday for the first time and most AGM’s that followed have run all of Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 

An election was held, Mauro Felicori’s six years as president came to an end and he was replaced by Maria Luisa Yzaguirre from Barcelona. There were only 14 presentations as the organisers took us to several cemeteries and as we travelled, we seemed to be either on a bridge or in a tunnel in this mountainous coastal country.

 

AGM 2008: Birkenhead, England

No traveling for me in 2008 when the Friends of Flaybrick hosted the AGM at Birkenhead with the cooperation of Wirral Borough Council. A factor in the success of an AGM is whether it is easy to access. In our case, we were very much off centre in Europe. Never the less we succeeded in getting 98 delegates from 16 countries. 

I decided to go after the speakers. I wanted to produce an AGM which was devoted to the role of volunteers in the care and restoration of cemeteries. I also had responsibility for catering were knowing your numbers is key to reducing costs. The day before the conference started, I met Maria Luisa Yzaguirre and drove her around the key locations. On the way we passed the railway station in Liverpool and I was horrified to see three delegates from one of the Balkan countries who had made no attempt whatsoever to register!

Andreea Pop has said that a consideration of a successful conference is whether it gives lasting benefits to the host. Well in our case it certainly did as the standards of grounds maintenance were raised dramatically prior to the AGM and have remained so ever since.

AGM 2009: Granada, Spain

In 2009, 99 delegates from 15 countries enjoyed the splendour of the AGM in Granada. The delegates where given presentations on cemetery tourism and culture. Amongst the speakers were Ian Hussein, Director of the Commonwealth grave Commission, Northern Europe. We also had Pascal-Hervé Daniel, Director of Paris Cemeteries, who made clear that he did not want any more tourists at Père Lachaise Cemetery, adding that he had 16 requests to film in 2008 in the previous 12 months. Interestingly, he had just introduced laser beam alarm systems for key memorials. Daniel served on our steering group for a number of years and I remember sitting next to him when an expected important dignitary walked in, Daniel said, “Ah, la grand fromage.” Since Daniel left our association, Lidija Pliberšek has worked constantly to bring Père Lachaise back into ASCE.

I clearly remember the gala dinner, our tables ringed an open courtyard with two guitarists in the middle playing the Rodriguez guitar concerto. Above us the walls of the Alhambra were lit up by a full moon - really magical. If that was not enough, the following evening we enjoyed a nocturnal tour of the Alhambra and its splendid gardens.

 

AGM 2010: Cagliari, Italy

In 2010 we returned to Italy on the island of Sardinia and its capital Cagliari. Attendance set a new record with 137 delegates from 17 countries. However not all the delegates were inside listening to presentations. The Scandinavians had suffered terrible weather that year and spent a lot of time on the terrace soaking up the sun which they had hardly seen that year. They had an added bonus as the touristic element of the programme included a tour of the beaches!

Presentations were 100% pragmatic including a presentation from Žale on new cemetery software. Delegates were also introduced to Augmented Reality, which would play a part in the future of mobile cemetery guides, such as Artour. Another key aspect was that three hours were devoted to the launch of the European Cemetery Route project.

AGM 2011: Vienna, Austria

The 2011 saw us in Vienna at an AGM focused on the Central Cemetery, the staggeringly large main cemetery of Vienna. This year saw another election and we said goodbye to Maria Luisa Yzaguirre. She withdrew completely from ASCE but had for some time given guidance and advice to Lidija Pliberšek who was elected as our new president. A total of 115 delegates from 16 countries heard 14 presentations equally balanced between academic and pragmatic with the delegates able to hear them in German and Spanish as well as English.

AGM 2012: Maribor, Slovenia

In 2012, AGM was held in Maribor, Slovenia and despite the fine location only 60 delegates attended. One of the missing delegates was myself, so I am afraid my record of the event is not good. However, I can tell you that the programme was largely pragmatic and for the first time Dušan Vrban spoke to the AGM about the technical possibilities for the future.

 

AGM 2013: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2013 saw us in Amsterdam, thanks to the generous support of the Facultatieve Company, long -time supporters of ASCE. The programme examined current changes in the cemetery environment with Dr. Julie Rugg speaking on the changing landscape of death and Wim van Midwoud looking at the need for harmony between cremation and burials.

 

AGM 2014: Barcelona, Spain

In 2014 ASCE returned to Barcelona and our most successful AGM ever with 150 delegates attending. A mix of cemetery managers and academics examined the themes of, "Remembrance, memory and heritage". The delegates enjoyed the unique atmosphere of a night time tour of Poblenou Cemetery accompanied by live classical music.

 

AGM 2015: Bucharest, Romania

In 2015 we went further east than ever before in the city of Bucharest. The AGM was close to not taking place due to considerable political changes and it was only thanks to the efforts of Andreea Pop that we were able to enjoy the entirely pragmatic AGM without disruption. The theme was, “Foreigners in Significant Cemeteries” so it was particularly appropriate to hear a presentation from Julia Bolton Holloway (born in London), resplendent in her nuns habit, speaking on the Non Catholic Cemetery of Florence which she manages.

 

AGM 2016: Dublin, Ireland

I was closely involved in the organisation of the speakers programme for the AGM 2016, hosted by the Glasnevin Cemetery Trust. That year marked the centenary of the Easter Uprising and I proposed a theme of “Conflict, Interpretation, Memorialisation = Reconciliation”. George McCullough and Mervyn Colville, the trust managers, bravely took on this theme.

The AGM was largely academic and succeeded in achieving balance in the face of political sensitivities, as the Trust always has done at Glasnevin. Attendance was good and significantly one of the delegates was Richard Moylan, president of the Green-Wood Cemetery in New York. For the first time there was significant commercial input towards the costs of the event with a partnership with the Eco Legacy company.

AGM 2017: Athens, Greece

In 2017, ASCE went to Greece for the first time for an AGM in Athens. Sadly, this was another miss for me but the delegates enjoyed a strongly academic programme with the appropriate theme of “Ancient Greek Art and European Funerary Art”. The lead organiser for the event was Professor Evangelia Georgitsoyanni who worked hard to ensure that for the first time the presentations were published in a printed document.

 

AGM 2018: Innsbruck, Austria

In 2018 ASCE returned to Austria in the city of Innsbruck. The programme was largely academic but there was a presentation, “Adding Value to Cemeteries with Mapping”, achieved with 360 degree videoing. There were 23 speakers but Alexander Legniti made sure that the programme ran to time by installing traffic lights in front of the speakers!

 

AGM 2019: Ghent, Belgium

For the first time Belgium hosted the AGM in the city of Ghent in 2019. A very strong partnership of no less than 8 organisation including ASCE and three years of planning resulted in our most successful AGM ever with 163 delegates from 19 countries attending. It was also the longest, with the event having commencing at 4pm on the Wednesday and finishing on Saturday afternoon. Also, a new development was the inclusion of post conference drinks on the Friday night.

Delegates heard presentations on the theme of, “Heritage cemeteries in the 21st century, Use, Reuse and Shared Use”. For the first time our AGM was enhanced with poster sessions with a total of 20 on display.

We visited Laeken Cemetery, with its stunning backdrop and for the first time visited a cemetery sculptor’s workshop. At St. Amandsberg Cemetery we were able to see restorers at work using epoxy resins to fix shattered stones. We also learned how the coast of restoration was met by sponsorship.

 

AGM 2020: Vienna, Austria

Sadly, after this triumph in 2019, in 2020 our AGM was all but wiped out by Covid and reduced to just a short formal AGM held online, hosted by Vienna.

AGM and Conference 2021

We are now about to come to a full 20 year circle with a dynamic return from Covid and a triple pronged resurgence! For those of you who are able to travel, an AGM will take place for the first time in Hungary on the 16th to the 18th September thanks to our new partners, The National Heritage Institute in Budapest. Delegates will be able to experience the full splendours of this historic city thanks to a cemetery, museum and touristic programme. They will also be able to participate in the process of the formal AGM and enjoy a gala dinner whilst cruising the Danube. For those not able to make it to Budapest there will be the possibility of participating online.

Finally, an online Conference will be hosted by Highgate on the 11th and 12th of November. The theme will be, “Cemetourism – cemeteries with a story to tell”. As I sit on the editorial board, I can assure you that the speakers will be wide ranging and pragmatic, aiming to help you to enhance your cemetery visitor experience.

John Moffat
UK Steering Group member

You can access the original article HERE.

The meaning of cemeteries changes

Tradition meets alternative, analog meets digital, cemeteries support environmental protection and are an important part of our daily living.

The importance of cemeteries is changing, isn’t it?

And what role does ASCE play with this? There are many cemeteries in Vienna. This is very special. A wonderful city with about 2.000.000 inhabitants and 55 cemeteries. So, even after being there, you can find what you are looking for in Vienna.

My heart found the cemeteries 4 years ago. Before I didn't care about death, graves, cemeteries, and finiteness. And then I started in the position of the general manager of Friedhöfe Wien. I made myself ready for this position, studied a lot of articles, numbers, data and facts and thought about the challenges in connection with the 500 hectares of cemetery area. And there was a lot of good advice like “It’s a safe business, people always die” and “At the end, everyone is coming to you”. So, what do you think about it? Is it true?

No, it is not! Cemeteries have changed. The expectations of cemeteries have changed because society has changed. Megatrends like urbanization, digitalization, globalization also influence life in cemeteries. We do not have enough time to visit and care for the grave sites, maybe we live in another city or country. The idea of a grave site has changed. So, there are many grave site owners, who left the cemeteries. The cultural heritage, the memory of those who have passed away is in jeopardy. ASCE understood this risk years ago. For 20 years, ASCE and its members have been working to emphasize the importance of cemeteries. Together we want to create a “new” value and contemporary importance for it.

But is it possible to actively change the importance of cemeteries for now and for the future?

We must rethink cemeteries. The “use” has always changed over the centuries. Often due to the location of the cemeteries. They were far away from the cities, they were the center part of the cities, they were trading markets, they were part of our life. It is a wonderful thought, that our beloved deceased are still part of our lives, of our living space and everyone can leave a little footprint, isn’t it?

So, what is our challenge, our responsibility as cemetery administrator, as cemetery designer?

We must adapt our offer for society. We must offer something for all requirements. Cemeteries must be interesting and valuable. Be creative! Do you have any idea about it?

We have: tradition meets alternative, analog meets digital, cemeteries support environmental protection and are an important part of our daily living.

Would you like some examples from Vienna?

Let's have a look at tradition:

Let's have a look at alternatives:

Let´s go digital:

That´s nature in the cemeteries:

Cemeteries (should) have many faces. This is what ASCE has stood for for the last 20 years: Together we update the importance of cemeteries to save cultural heritage. We create new networks, share experiences, and improve our services – together! The more people participate, the stronger the network and the ability to maintain and develop the value of the cemeteries. Be part of it!

Mag. Renate Niklas,
general manager of Friedhöfe Wien GmbH

You can access the original article HERE.

Find more about cemeteries in Vienna:

Friedhöfe Wien GmbH
Simmeringer Hauptstraße 339 – 1110 Wien

post@friedhoefewien.at | www.friedhoefewien.at | www.digitalesgrab.at
Facebook & Instagram: @FriedhoefeWien

AGM 2020: A thank you from Milan

Milan, the original host of the AGM 2020, has recently sent a thank you gift to all ASCE members.

Due to the overall situation across Europe in the past year, the AGM 2020 in Milan, Italy, had to be postponed. Instead, a shorter online AGM was executed, during which the ASCE presidency met in Vienna, Austria, and led an online meeting with live broadcasting.

In July 2021, Milan, the original host of AGM 2020, sent a thank you gift to all ASCE members as a token of closeness and connection, and also as a symbolic re-invitation to meet, participate and exchange views.

The package included a special-edition guide of the Milan Monumental Cemetery which was created as a result of collaborative effort between the Municipality of Milan, Bracco Foundation and the Association Amici del Monumentale di Milano and represents a fruitful form of partnership and cooperation between the public and private sector and voluntary organizations.

We thank Milan for this kind gesture and hope to have the opportunity to attend an ASCE Annual General Meeting with them in the near future.

AGM 2021: program

Program of the Annual General Meeting 2021, taking place in Budapest, Hungary from 16-18 September 2021.

The full program in print format is available here.

Thursday, September 16th

➤ 17:30-18:00 | Transfer to the National Park of Mourning
Fiumei Street Graveyard, 16-18. Fiumei Street, 1086 Budapest

➤ 18:00-18:30 | Visiting the National Park of Mourning
National Park of Mourning, 1106 Budapest, Újköztemető

➤ 18:30-19:15 | Going to the hotels

➤ 19:15-20:00 | Check-in in the hotels

➤ 20:00 | Transfer to the location of the dinner together
Meeting point nearby the hotels (details will follow)

➤ 20:30-23:30 | Formal dinner while cruising on the Danube, all members are invited guests of the National Heritage Institute
Prestige Event Boat, Jászai Mari Square, 1137 Budapest

➤ around 23:30 | Transfer back to the hotels

Friday, September 17th

➤ 9:00 | Traveling to the location of the General Meeting
Meeting point nearby the hotels (details will follow)

➤ 9:30-12:00 | General Meeting
Military History Institute and Museum, 1014 Budapest, Kapisztrán Sq 2-4.

➤ 12:00 | Press Conference
Military History Institute and Museum, 1014 Budapest, Kapisztrán Sq 2-4.

➤ 13:00-14:00 | Lunch
Military History Institute and Museum, 1014 Budapest, Kapisztrán Sq 2-4.

➤ 14:00-15:30 | Going back to the hotels or guided tour in the Castle District

➤ 15:30-16:00 | Transfer to the Fiumei Street Graveyard, from the Castle District or the Hotels
Meeting point nearby the hotels (details will follow)

➤ 16:00-18:00 | Guided tour in the Fiumei Street Graveyard and Salgótarjáni Street Cemetery
Fiumei Street Graveyard, 16-18. Fiumei Street, 1086 Budapest

➤ 18:00-19:00 | Refreshments
Fiumei Street Graveyard, 16-18. Fiumei Street, 1086 Budapest

➤ 19:30-21:00 | Cultural programs, outdoor concert
Fiumei Street Graveyard, 16-18. Fiumei Street, 1086 Budapest

➤ 21:00 | Transfer back to the hotels

➤ 21:30 | Dinner in your hotel (cost covered by National Heritage Institute)

Saturday, September 18th

➤ 9:00 | Check-out

➤ In the morning | Optional sightseeing in Budapest

AGM 2021: Accommodation in Budapest

Accommodation options for Annual General Meeting 2021, taking place in Budapest, Hungary from 16-18 September 2021.

Form for all the AGM participants

As you already know this year’s annual general meeting will be held in Budapest, Hungary (16-18 September 2021). Many of you have already registered for the program, but in case you haven’t done it yet, you still have a chance to apply until August 10th, 2021.

Here you can find a detailed PROGRAM with significant pieces of information. Please read it before you fill out the following questionnaire, which contains several questions the answers to which we need to know in order to plan every detail of the meeting.

QUESTIONNAIRE for all ASCE members that will attend AGM 2021: https://forms.gle/6Mbh3dpRrR4sGWWY7

(Please fill this out if you want to sign up but also if you had already registered before.)

The deadline for application and filling out the questionnaire is August 10th, 2021!

Traveling

Costs of traveling to and from Budapest are paid by the members. Please come to the first program you decide to participate in on your own but after that National Heritage Institute will take care of the transfer with buses.

Hotel recommendation

We recommend you the following hotels as these are close to the meeting point from where participants will be transferred to different locations of the organized programs.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Noemi Balczó (+36306071102; noemi.balczo@nori.gov.hu)

We are looking forward to seeing you in person!

Mercure Budapest City Center Hotel****

• About the hotel
• Price: around 110,00 EUR / person / night
• Breakfast included
• 30,00 EUR for the dinner on Friday night

Booking with the help of this form:
Mercure booking form

Danubius Hotel Erzsébet***

• About the hotel
• Price: around 80,00 EUR / person / night
• Breakfast included 
• dinner on Friday night is paid by the host

Booking with the help of this link: https://www.danubiushotels.com/en/asce

Booking recommendation

Booking is recommended before August 16th, 2021.

After that the hotels cannot guarantee the mentioned prices.