WDEC 2026 in Barcelona Cemeteries

As part of the WDEC 2026, Cementiris de Barcelona is showcasing its educational programme “Life Lessons: Cemeteries as Educational Heritage”.

About the programme

One of the pillars of Cementiris de Barcelona is its educational service, which works to promote Barcelona’s cemeteries as cultural assets of exceptional importance, fostering public knowledge and helping to normalize death. This mission is reflected in the programme "Life Lessons: Cemeteries as Educational Heritage". Although featured during WDEC 2026, the programme is not limited to this one week. Educational activities are conducted throughout the year across several Barcelona cemeteries, demonstrating the organisation’s long-term commitment to learning, cultural heritage, and community engagement.

The educational activities, tailored to various learning stages, offer a unique opportunity to explore the rich funerary heritage of the Poblenou and Montjuïc cemeteries—both classified as monumental by the Council of Europe—as well as the Funeral Carriage Collection, the Funerary Library, and other cemeteries in Barcelona. Together, these sites represent a significant cultural legacy and a collective memory shared by society.

This initiative is led by the team at Cementiris de Barcelona: highly qualified professionals committed to continuous improvement, who balance compassionate care for families during the farewell process with excellence in educational outreach. By engaging students in meaningful educational experiences, the educators foster deep respect for heritage preservation while working to normalise death as an essential, natural part of life.

By addressing a fundamental topic that remains taboo for many, these activities provide a supportive space for reflection. The subject of mortality is approached with the utmost respect for diverse beliefs, religions, and cultural traditions, allowing participants to fully appreciate the rich symbolic expressions that define Barcelona’s funerary heritage.

You can read more about the programme HERE.

ASCE Conference 2026: Call for papers

The theme of the ASCE Conference 2026 is "Life Lessons: Cemeteries as Educational Heritage".

Conference dates and venue

The next ASCE’s annual Conference will be held earlier than usual, this time on 18 and 19 June 2026 in Turin, Italy.

The conference will take place in Turin’s historic centre, close to the city’s Monumental Cemetery. Exact venues will be announced soon.

Conference theme: "Life Lessons: Cemeteries as Educational Heritage"

Cemeteries engage all the senses and offer rich opportunities for learning. From sculptural and architectural heritage to the textures of weathered stone, the presence of vegetation and wildlife, and the stories embedded in family histories, these sites possess profound educational potential.

This learning, understanding and recognising the values of the past to shape our future, forms a foundation of our humanity. Yet in contemporary society, the lessons cemeteries offer risk being overlooked or dismissed as irrelevant.

This year’s conference explores how cemeteries can function as vital heritage sites for education, inviting reflection on how we preserve, interpret, and transmit knowledge across generations.

Topics

We welcome papers addressing (but not limited to):

• educational programmes in cemetery settings,
• cemeteries in formal and informal education,
• heritage interpretation and visitor engagement,
• digital technologies and heritage learning,
• training and professional development for cemetery staff and volunteers,
• community participation and knowledge exchange,
• schools and universities working with cemetery heritage.

Submissions

*Subbmissions are closed.

Individual presentations (15-20 minutes) and panel discussions (30-45 minutes, maximum four participants) are welcome.

Please submit via the form below:

1. An abstract of no more than 250 words
2. A brief CV (maximum one page)
3. For panel proposals, names and affiliations of all participants

The conference language is English.

Deadline for submissions: 31 January 2026
Notification of acceptance: 28 February 2026

➤ ABSTRACT SUBMISSION FORM

Editorial board

• Andreea Pop, phd
• Esterino Adami, phd
• Ian Dungavell, phd
• Ioanna Paraskevopoulou, phd
• Renata Santoro, phd
• Silvia Beltramo, phd

Further information

For any questions, please contact Mrs. Renata Santoro at renata.santoro@cimiteritorino.it.

WDEC 2026: Quality education

The 2026 Week of Discovering European Cemeteries will focus on the role cemeteries play in enabling, implementing and promoting quality education.

Theme of WDEC 2026

The Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2026 will once again be held as a central activity within the framework of the ASCE initiative Significant Cemeteries for Sustainable Europe. Following the pattern established in 2024 and 2025, the initiative aligns its activities with one of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, illustrating how cemeteries can contribute to a more sustainable society. 

Scheduled from May 22 to May 31, 2026, the WDEC 2026 will focus on Goal 4: Quality education and will take place within the same thematic context as the ASCE Schools on Cemeteries project, offering expanded opportunities for innovative activities and new cooperation.

This emphasis on education is perfectly suited to cemeteries because they are not only places of remembrance but also open-air museums and unique classrooms where history, art, and culture intersect. They provide countless opportunities for learning about the individuals who shaped our communities, the values that guided them, and the importance of education and knowledge in building a more sustainable future.

Main orientations for your activities

We encourage all ASCE members to use the WDEC 2026 theme as a framework for organizing engaging and innovative activities. As you plan your programs, consider the following guiding principles:

• Why is education important in sustainable development? Explore the role of knowledge and education in creating environmentally and socially responsible communities, and consider how cemeteries can contribute to this process.
• Who were the important educators in city history? Look for the graves and stories of teachers, professors, philanthropists, scientists, artists, and reformers who helped to shape the educational landscape and intellectual life of your city.
• What is sustainable education? Consider how the conservation of cemetery heritage itself is a form of sustainable education, and what specific lessons about ecology, history, or social equity can your cemetery offer?
• How education changed life in a city? Plan tours or workshops focusing on historical figures whose educational contributions led to significant social, technological, or political changes in your community.

Your programs could include guided thematic tours, educational workshops for all generations, exhibitions about local educational pioneers, or digital projects that bring these stories to a wider audience.

Share your activities

We invite you to share programs, photos and other materials of your planned activities during WDEC 2026 ba using the form below. We will be happy to publish them on the ASCE website and our social media channels.

➤ SUBMISSION FORM

WDEC 2022, Exhibition and educational walk on City cemetery in Koprivnica

A brief summary and photos from the events.

Municipal Utility Company Komunalac LLC Koprivnica, in cooperation with the Koprivnica City Museum, Historical Society of Koprivnica and Art school „Fortunat Pintarić“ Koprivnica, organized events aimed at enhancing the heritage existing on the City cemetery "Pri Sv. Duhu" in Koprivnica.

The aim of this event is to raise awareness of the importance of cemeteries, their architectural solutions, artistic monuments and historical facts related to the emergence and development of graves.

Exhibition of photographs, sketches and items

The program began on Wednesday, June 1, at 13.00, in front of the old morgue in the City Cemetery, with the opening of the exhibition of photographs, sketches and items named “Stories of life and death” in the space of an old morgue. The opening ceremony was enhanced by the musical accompaniment of Art School Fortunat Pintarić.

After the opening, the exhibition was visited by students of the high school „Fran Galović“ Koprivnica with their history teacher.

The other days were dedicated to individual visits and a visit to the cemetery where all citizens and tourists can view the exhibition of photographs.

Educational walk on the cemetery

On June 2, at 15.00 Historical Society of Koprivnica with the historian, prof.dr.sc. Hrvoje Petric, held an educational walk and a visit to the cemetery during which 13 graves were displayed, specific to their cultural or historical significance.

A brief lecture on the multicultural development of the City and the emergence of the city cemetery, Dr. Petrić held in the chapel “Pri Sv. Duhu” and then began an educational walk through the graveyard.

At the end of the educational walk through the city cemetery, visitors visited the photo exhibition “Stories of life and death” in the space of an old morgue.

Photos from the events

WDEC 2022 in Koprivnica

The program on the occasion of the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2022 at City cemetery "Pri Sv. Duhu" in Koprivnica, Croatia.

During the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2022, the Municipal Utility Company Komunalac LLC Koprivnica, in cooperation with the Koprivnica City Museum, Historical Society of Koprivnica and Art school „Fortunat Pintarić“ Koprivnica, organizes events aimed at enhancing the heritage existing on the City cemetery "Pri Sv. Duhu" in Koprivnica. The goal is to raise awareness of the importance of cemeteries, their architectural solutions, artistic monuments and historical facts related to the emergence and development of graves and customs in the cemetery.

The program of this year's WDEC in Koprivnica begins on Wednesday, June 1, at 13.00, in front of the old morgue in the City Cemetery. As part of the program will be set up an exhibition of photographs, sketches and items named “Stories of life and death” by Koprivnica City Museum. The exhibition will be open until June 3, 2022. The opening ceremony will be enhanced by the musical accompaniment of Art School Fortunat Pintarić.

On June 2, at 15.00, Historical Society of Koprivnica with the historian prof.dr.sc. Hrvoje Petric will take an educational walk through the old part of city cemetery.

Program

WEDNESDAY, 1. 6. 2022.

At 13.00

• Opening ceremony, presentation of the City cemetery "Pri Sv. Duhu“
• Opening of the exhibition of photographs, sketches and items named “Stories of life and death” by Koprivnica City Museum - in the space of an old morgue
• Music program: Art School Fortunat Pintarić Koprivnica

THURSDAY, 2. 6. 2022

At 15.00

• Educational walk and acquaintance with the cemetery and resumes of the most famous persons buried on it "History in the open“ with the historian izv.prof. dr. sc. Hrvoje Petric
• Opened exhibition of photographs, sketches and items named “Stories of life and death” by Koprivnica City Museum.- in the space of an old morgue

FRIDAY, 3. 6. 2022

• Individual visits to the cemetery
• Opened exhibition of photographs, sketches and items named “Stories of life and death” by Koprivnica City Museum - in the space of an old morgue

Tour "Extraordinary Women" on New Cemetery in Belgrade

New Cemetery in Belgrade Hosted Participants of “Share Your Knowledge” and “Creative Mentorship” Programs

Teaching children history by visiting the local cemetery

Visiting a local cemetery is a perfect way to interest children in history. Questions and discussions about wars, disease, immigration and beliefs about death are triggered in even elementary school children.