Highlights from the Cemetery Conference in Varaždin

On September 14 and 15, 2023, the 1st scientific and professional conference on cemeteries took place in Varaždin, Croatia.

The 1st scientific and professional conference on cemeteries, that  took place on September 14 and 15, 2023, at the Turist Hotel in Varaždin, Croatia, brought together a diverse group of experts from public institutions, utility companies, local self-government units, scientists and suppliers of technology and utility equipment. Among the participants at the conference was also the president of ASCE, Mrs Lidija Pliberšek.

The conference focus was on maintenance and future management of cemeteries. The Varaždin cemetery has a great cultural and historical significance as well as an exemplary combination of horticulture and artistic monuments. It is therefore not surprising that Varaždin was chosen as the venue for the 1st international scientific and professional conference on cemeteries.

The Mayor of Varaždin, Neven Bosilj, welcomed the lecturers and participants of the conference, and emphasized the cultural and historical importance of the Varaždin cemetery, as well as the need to preserve the heritage of its founder, Herman Haller. The director of Parkovi d.o.o., Jelena Sekelj, outlined the meeting's topics, including waste management, greenery protection, digitalization of funeral services, artificial intelligence at cemeteries, computerization of management, and more. 

The second day of the meeting was reserved for study visits to the City Cemetery in Varaždin and the Jewish Cemetery and the presentation of usage of electric vehicles in the maintenance of cemeteries. Since the conference was held as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the first known recorded burial at the Varaždin cemetery, the exhibition "250 years of the Varaždin cemetery" was opened in the crypt of the church of St. Nikola and can be visited for free until October 7, 2023.

More about the event at www.parkovi.eu.

1st scientific and professional conference on cemeteries in Varaždin

The conference will take place on 14 in 15 September 2023, focusing on maintenance and future management of cemeteries.

About the conference

This year, Varaždin (Croatia) will host the 1st international scientific and professional conference on cemeteries, which will be held on 14 and 15 September 2023, at the Hotel Turist. The event is organized by Parkovi d.o.o. from Varaždin and the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Sponsors are the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, the City of Varaždin and the Association of Cities.

The conference will bring together experts from municipal companies, representatives of local self-government units, public institutions, scientists and suppliers of technology and public utility equipment.

The first thematic block will include a historical review of the city cemetery in Varaždin, which this year marks the 250th anniversary of the first burial at this cemetery. The following thematic blocks will focus on the improvement of the waste management system and protection of greenery at the cemetery (using the example of the Varaždin Cemetery), digitization of funeral services, artificial intelligence at cemeteries, computerization of cemetery management and other topics related to cemetery maintenance and funeral activities.

Additional activities

On the first day of the conference, in addition to the presentation part with the already mentioned topics, participants will also visit an exhibition that will mark the 250th anniversary of the first burial at the Varaždin Cemetery. The exhibition will be set up in a unique space in the crypt of the church of St. Nikola which has so far been mostly inaccessible and unknown to the public. The exhibition itself is divided into several thematic units: “Burials in the former cemeteries of Varaždin until the beginning of the use of the present-day City Cemetery”, “From the idea of a cemetery park to the present-day cemetery”, “Herman Haller and his predecessors and successors”, “Interesting landscape parts of the cemetery”, and “Customs of the people of Varaždin when burying their loved ones”. The exhibition is prepared by the Varaždin City Museum in cooperation with Parkovi d.o.o.

On the second day of the conference, the participants will visit two cultural monuments - the city cemetery in Varaždin and the Jewish cemetery. In addition, there will be a presentation of electric vehicles for the maintenance of cemeteries and public utility equipment.

In addition to being a cultural monument and a monument of park architecture, the Varaždin Cemetery is also known for its communal arrangement. Considering that Varaždin has been an example of horticultural arrangement for years, and the municipal company Parkovi is among the leaders in its activity, this will also be a great opportunity for conference participants to exchange experiences on the current challenges of managing municipal companies and performing public utility activities.

Event program and registration contact

You can find the preliminary program of the event HERE.
For all information about registration and accommodation options contact ivana@horizont-travel.hr.

Success of the meeting "Mirogoj: challenges of heritage preservation"

The event that took place on October 27, 2022, received many positive responses and organisers would like to thank everyone involved for their participation.

About the experts meeting

On Thursday, October 27, 2022, a live-streamed experts meeting entitled "Mirogoj: challenges of heritage preservation" took place as one of the project activities within the framework of the long-term efforts of the gathered collaborators in finding solutions for the challenges of the daily functioning of the Monumental Cemetery Mirogoj, the upcoming reconstruction of the cemetery after the earthquake in 2020, and in relation to the potential of Mirogoj as a tourist-heritage destination. 

Among the speakers at the event was also ASCE president, Mrs Lidija Pliberšek.

During the meeting, the live broadcast was followed by about 110 viewers, and the current figure of over 200 views refers to subsequent access to the recording available for viewing at this LINK. 

Thanks to the participants

The organisers of the event thank the participants with the following words:

"We would like to thank you all for your participation in the expert meeting dedicated to Mirogoj, as well as for your efforts in preparing individual presentations. Positive reactions have not been absent and are still not abating, which is primarily due to your valuable professional and practical contributions in understanding the various dimensions of the heritage values of the historical Mirogoj cemetery, and the layered issues of long-term management of this protected area and active city cemetery. We are especially grateful for the provided perspective of international networking around the topic of the touristic and educational potential of historical cemeteries."

TV show and radio broadcast

In addition to the previously prepared episodes of the show "Historical Controversies" for the Third Program of HR (available HERE), for which we once again sincerely thank Mr. Gordan Ravančić, the topic of the restoration of Mirogoj and the entire collaboration was also present on the air of Radio Sljema.

Immediately after the meeting, the head of the City Institute for the Protection of Cultural and Natural Monuments, Lana Križaj, was a guest of the program "We are rebuilding Zagreb together", with an appropriate comment by the head of the City Cemeteries branch office, Igor Rađenović.

Therefore, we would like to thank both of them for this added contribution and share the LINK for subsequent listening to the recording of the show for all those interested.

Photos from the experts meeting

Live-stream experts meeting "Mirogoj: challenges of heritage preservation"

On Thursday, October 27, 2022, at 9.00, you can watch a free live-stream of the experts meeting about the Monumental Cemetery Mirogoj in Zagreb, Croatia.

The 7 Most Endangered program

After the damage caused by the devastating earthquakes that hit central Croatia in 2020 and as a result of the nomination of the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, the whole of the historical Mirogoj cemetery was included in the list of the seven most endangered heritage sites in 2021, as part of the 7 Most Endangered program, which is implemented by Europa Nostra with the support of the European Investment Bank Institute.

The Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia assembled a project team consisting of representatives of the academic community whose scientific focus is the evaluation of the entire Mirogoj cemetery in the context of Croatian and European history and the history of art and architecture, as well as representatives of institutions whose competence is the practical implementation of measures to preserve the entire Mirogoj cemetery.

Live-strem experts meeting

The expert meeting "Mirogoj: challenges of heritage preservation" takes place as one of the project activities within the framework of the long-term efforts of the gathered collaborators in finding solutions for the challenges of the daily functioning of the cemetery, the upcoming reconstruction after the earthquake and in relation to the potential of Mirogoj as a tourist-heritage destination.

The meeting will take place on Thursday, October 27, 2022, at 9.00, on Youtube. On the same YouTube channel, the recording will remain available for subsequent review.

You can watch the live meeting for free at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH37Q4oAYEM

*Photo source: www.gradskagroblja.hr