WDEC 2024 at the Fiumei Road Cemetery

Discover the tours that will take place at the Fiumei Road Cemetery in Budapest, during the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2024.

May 25 at 10:00 a.m., Memorial Day of Hungarian heroes

Commemoration of the Hungarian National Guard and representatives of military and social organizations with wreath-laying.

The Fiume Road Graveyard National Memorial is where many heroes of modern Hungary are laid to rest. People, whose actions and decisions had an impact on Hungary’s fate. On the Day of Remembrance of Hungarian Heroes, we will remember them because Hungary would not be the same without them.

May 25 at 10:00 a.m., "The silver thread from my hand" (Literature walk)

On the walk, we will pay our respects at the graves of Hungarian writers and poets who weren't included in the previous literature walks. We will learn more about the lives of Béla Balázs, Anna Lesznai, Mari Jászai, Lenke Bajza, Sophie Török, Zseni Várnai, Dezső Tandori, Imre Sarkadi and Iván Mándy.

May 29, 17:00 p.m., Bicycle tour

On hidden paths – Bicycle tour in the Fiumei Road Cemetery.

One of the most distinctive green spaces in Budapest, the Fiumei Road Cemetery, is home to a wealth of special monuments, many of which are tucked away in the wooded areas at the back of the cemetery. The bike tour will explore these lesser-known corners of the cemetery, uncovering fascinating tales along the way. As we will ride through the tree-lined avenues, we will encounter artistic tombs, learn about our guardian angels, and discover the stories behind family mausoleums and slender female figures.

The tour will start at the main entrance of the Fiumei Road Cemetery.
Note: The organizer cannot provide bicycles for the programme. Please bring your own bicycle.

Additional information

The tours are organised in Hungarian language. If you would like to have a guided tour in English, please contact idegenvezetes@nori.gov.hu.

WDEC 2024 at Žale Cemetery

During the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2024, Žale d.o.o. will organise free guided tours at Žale Cemetery.

Free guided tours

The guided tours will take place from 27 May 2024 until 2 June 2024 inclusive. The guide will meet you in front of Plečnik's propylaea at 17:00.

You will visit the famous Plečnik's Žale, which has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will also see the final resting place of Jože Plečnik and other famous Slovenians, the works of famous architects and sculptors, and other important parts of the Žale Cemetery, which is actually an open-air museum.

About Žale Cemetery

Žale Cemetery is one of Europe's most beautiful cemeteries, thanks to its high cultural, historical and artistic value. Many important personalities are buried in Žale Cemetery: poets, writers, sculptors, painters, composers, architects, actors, engineers, politicians, sportsmen, etc. It also contains many cemeteries from World War I. and World War II., as well as other memorials to famous architects and sculptors. It is also important as the city's second largest park and it is interesting in all seasons.

WDEC 2024 at Merelbeke's cemeteries

Explore four of the six cemeteries located in the municipality of Merelbeke near Ghent, Belgium, as part of this year's WDEC.

Guided tours at Merelbeke's cemeteries

It is gradually becoming a tradition in Merelbeke to participate in the international Week of Discovering European Cemeteries. This year you can go to four of the six cemeteries in Merelbeke for free guided tours. These will not be boring guides about grave styles and makers. Merelbeke's passionate guides will lead you past the graves of well-known and lesser-known Merelbeke residents. You will learn about the merits of these people for the community and unravel the funerary symbols on their tombstones.

Saturday, 25 May 2024

• 10:30 am – Bottelare cemetery (guide An Hernalsteen)
• 2:30 pm – Munte cemetery (guide Bernadette Van Damme)

Sunday, 26 May 2024

• 10:30 am – Bottelare cemetery (guide An Hernalsteen)
• 2:30 pm – Schelderode cemetery (guide Georges de Meester)

Sunday, 2 June 2024

• 10:30 am – Munte cemetery (guide Bernadette Van Damme)
• 2:30 pm – Merelbeke cemetery center (guide Georges de Meester)

Meeting always at the entrance of the cemetery.

Additional information and reservations

Guided tours are free of charge, but advance reservations are required. The groups are limited to 20 people so book your spot quickly at erfgoed@merelbeke.be or 0474 85 56 14.

More information about the guided tours available HERE.

*Photo source: www.merelbeke.be

WDEC 2022: Funerary symbols and famous people of the Italian Risorgimento

An online conference about the project "Funerary symbols and famous people of the Italian Risorgimento" will be held on June 7, 2022.

About the conference

The online conference about the project "Funerary symbols and famous people of the Italian Risorgimento" will address the tours studied and identified in the Monumental Cemetery of Turin by the students of the Liceo Regina Margherita. 

The online conference will take place on June 7, 2022, at 17.30. 

Here is the LINK to join the conference.

WDEC 2022 in Barcelona

Events in Barcelona (Spain) during the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2022 consist of the traditional Modernist Fair and some interesting tours around three different cemeteries in Barcelona.

Modernist Fair

Barcelona offers a leap back in history to the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century to walk around and enjoy its unique architectural and cultural heritage. The aim of the Modernist fair is to discover the city through the hand of an artistic movement that would end up forging the landscape and personality of Barcelona and its cemeteries, making it the world capital of Modernism.

Cementiris de Barcelona collaborates every year in this fair with workshops and activities for children that help to naturalize the fact of death.

One of these activities is Tree of Wishes. The purpose of this workshop is to offer to all the visitors the opportunity to write a positive thought on the leaves that will be drawn on the top of the tree.

Itineraries around Barcelona cemeteries

In collaboration with the Libraries of Barcelona, Cementiris de Barcelona have prepared a series of literary and historical routes through different neighborhoods of Barcelona in which classical and modern literature show us the other sides of familiar places that have often been forgotten. Among them are also three routes on cemeteries.

Art and culture in Sant Gervasi Cemetery
The Sant Gervasi Cemetery was founded in 1853 in response to the demands of a town in the process of transformation. In the mid-19th century, Sant Gervasi de Cassoles, a small country town, became a refuge for many of Barcelona's bourgeois families in search of a better quality of life.

We propose an itinerary through a cemetery of great patrimonial value, the sample of richness and taste for the art work on the tombs engrave the towers that are being built in the area. In addition, we will approach key figures of Catalan culture such as Joan Maragall and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, among others.

The Cemetery of Sant Andreu, the identity of people
The richness of its water and the subsequent strength of its industry made Sant Andreu de Palomar the most populated town in Barcelona. For this reason, it was the first to build a center adapted to the needs of a new society, following in the footsteps of Poblenou Center in Barcelona.

We propose an itinerary to follow the evolution of the Sant Andreu and the historical and artistic heritage that can be seen. Finally, we will visit the Cemetery of Sant Andreu, one of the most representative cultural places of the old town with its own character that we preserve today.

The Cemetery of Les Corts, the history of a village
Les Corts was a village with a small population living in farmhouses, which formed its physiognomy until the mid-19th century. The industrialization process changed its markedly rural character forever and the strong demographic growth transformed the town until its annexation to Barcelona.
 
We propose an itinerary in which we deal with the origins of the Corts and its evolution, and we do so by accompanying the most representative heritage legacy of the neighborhood and its cemetery. From the most important graves, we can connect with the old town of Les Corts and get to know the figures who were the driving force behind it.
 
In addition, we will also discover the Barça footballers who are also buried there, as well as the first Hebrew Enclosure in the city of Barcelona.

WDEC 2022 in Ghent

From May 28 to June 5, 2022, as part of this year's Week of Discovering European Cemeteries, nature in Ghent cemeteries will be highlighted trough an interesting lecture and different guided tours.

Program

Opening Lecture "More than just tombstones" by Joeri Mertens

Saturday 28th of May, from 2 PM till 4 PM
Location: Cemetery Westerbegraafplaats
Free of charge - Registration is compulsory
More information: www.inschrijvingevenementen.gent.be

Memorial of the deceased by Contactpunt Waardige Uitvaart

Sunday 29th of May, from 2 PM
Location: Cemetery Westerbegraafplaats (Leliestraat)
Free of charge - No registration
Contact: Els De Smet, e-mail: waardige.uitvaart@cawoostvlaanderen.be – Tel.: 0479 433 227

Guided tour "More than a quiet green place" by Sophie Derom

Tuesday 31st of May, from 7.30 PM till 9.30 PM
Location: Cemetery Sint Denijs Westrem
Free of charge – Registration is compulsory
More information: www.inschrijvingevenementen.gent.be

Saturday 4th of June, from 2 PM till 4 PM
Location: Cemetery Sint Denijs Westrem
Free of charge - Registration is compulsory
More information: www.inschrijvingevenementen.gent.be

Guided tour "From Bronze Age burial place to nature cemetery" by Gunter Stoops & Maarten Herbots

Wednesday 1st of June, from 2 PM till 4 PM
Location: Cemetery Drongen
Free of charge – Registration is compulsory
More information: www.inschrijvingevenementen.gent.be

Sunday 5th of Juni, from 2 PM till 4 PM
Location: Cemetery Drongen
Free of charge – Registration is compulsory
More information:  www.inschrijvingevenementen.gent.be

Guided tour "How does the City of Ghent approach the management of Cemeteries" by Bavo Plaetsier en Lieve Destoop (only for guides)

Thursday 2nd of June, from 7.30 PM till 9.30 PM
Location: Cemetery Westerbegraafplaats 
Free of charge – Registration is compulsory
More information: www.inschrijvingevenementen.gent.be

Guided tour "Environmentally friendly nature management at the Westerbegraafplaats" by Bavo Plaetsier

Friday 3rd of June, from 7.30 PM till 9.30 PM
Location: Cemetery Westerbegraafplaats 
Free of charge – Registration is compulsory
More information:  www.inschrijvingevenementen.gent.be

Sunday 5th of Juni, from 10 AM till 12 AM
Location: Cemetery Westerbegraafplaats 
Free of charge – Registration is compulsory
More information:  www.inschrijvingevenementen.gent.be

Independent cemetery visits

You can always discover the cemeteries of Ghent on your own:

• Family tour at cemetery Westerbegraafplaats
• Heritage tour at cemetery Campo Santo
• Heritage tour at cemetery Zuiderbegraafplaats
• A guided tour at a cemetery in Ghent

Additional information about the WDEC events in Ghent are available HERE.

WDEC 2022 in Italian cemeteries

Program of events and guided tours in Italian significant cemeteries - members of Utilitalia-SEFIT, on the occasion of the Week to Discovering European Cemeteries 2022.

About the Utilitalia-SEFIT

The public companies that manage the main Italian monumental cemeteries are associated in Utilitalia-SEFIT, which has established in 2015 a Technical Table for the historical, artistic and tourist enhancement of its cemeteries by organizing promotional activities and signing memoranda of understanding first with the Tourism Directorate of the current MIC, then also with the ASCE Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE) - custodian of the Cultural Route of the Council of Europe: European Cemeteries Route (CEMR). 

Members of Utilitalia-SEFIT

The Staglieno of Genoa, the Monumental of Treviso, the Certosa of Bologna, the Verano of Rome, the Monumental of Milan, the Certosa of Ferrara, the Monumental of Turin, the Monumental of Mantua, the Cemetery of the Villetta of Parma, the Monumental of Verona, the Bolzano Cemetery, the San Cataldo di Modena, the Monumentale di Treviso and the Monumentale di Trento are among the historical and significant Italian cemeteries members of the Technical Board of Valorisation of Utilitalia-SEFIT.

WDEC 2022 Program and other activities of Utilitalia-SEFIT

This year, the members of the Utilitalia-SEFIT TTL had the opportunity to join a project of historical reenactment "Giovine Italia, Giovine Europa. Ideas, struggles, emancipation" promoted to "8Cento APS" and the Civic Museum of the Risorgimento, foreseen in the review "Discovering the Italian patriot". 

Furthermore, every year the group of Italian cemeteries adheres to the cultural initiative of ASCE with a series of initiative within the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries. 

THIS BOOKLET is full of appointments, cultural initiatives, and guided tours that will take place during this year's Week of Discovering European Cemeteries.

The first three dates scheduled for the period are:

• May 26 - Certosa di Bologna,
• May 27 - Mantua Cemetery,
• 2 June - Verano Cemetery in Rome.

Monumental cemetery of Mantua VIDEO CLIP

WDEC 2022 in Alcoy

During this year's Week of Discovering European Cemeteries, guided walks and dramatized guided walks will take place at the Sant Antoni Abat Cemetery in Alcoy (Spain) with special events for schoolchildren.

Between the 1st and the 5th June 2022, as part of this year's Week of Discovering European Cemeteries, classic and dramatized guided tours will take place at the Sant Antoni Abat Cemetery under the title "In the shadow of the cypresses". Special dramatized guided tours for schoolchildren will also be organized.

You can find the original program in Spanish HERE.

Program:

Wednesday, June 1, at 18.00

• Guided tour of the Sant Antoni Abat Cemetery by Guiarte con Arte
• Registration required: www.guiarteconarte.es / Tel. 650 59 42 32
• Price: 8,00€

Thursday, June 2, at 18.00

• Guided tour of the Sant Antoni Abat Cemetery by Guiarte con Arte
• Registration required: www.guiarteconarte.es / Tel. 650 59 42 32
• Price: 8,00€

Friday, June 3, at 17.30

• Guided tour of the Sant Antoni Abat Cemetery by Guiarte con Arte
• Registration required: www.guiarteconarte.es / Tel. 650 59 42 32
• Price: 8,00€

Sunday, June 5, at 17.00

• Dramatized visit "In the shadow of the cypresses" at the Sant Antoni Abat Cemetery by Guiarte con Arte
• Registration required: www.guiarteconarte.es / Tel. 650 59 42 32
• Price: 10,00€

Schools on Cemeteries

• During the mornings dramatized guided tours for schoolchildren will take place at the cemetery.

WDEC 2022 in Budapest

Don't miss numerous colorful events that will take place at the Fiumei Road Cemetery in Budapest (Hungary) during this year's Week of Discovering European Cemeteries.

Last year the National Heritage Institute (NHI) joined the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE) and the European Cemeteries Route with two Hungarian cemeteries, the Fiume Road Cemetery National Memorial and the Salgótarjáni Street Jewish Cemetery.

This year, NHI is joining the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries (WDEC) with various colorful events at the Fiumei Road Cemetery in Budapest.

May 27 (10 a.m.): Opening of the Sculpture Park in the Fiumei Road Cemetery - press conference

The Fiumei Road Cemetery has a rich collection of tombs with hundreds of artistic sculptures on them which perfectly represent nearly 200 years of the history of Hungarian sculpture. The Fiumei Road Cemetery can also be interpreted as a sculpture park or an open-air museum where not only the spiritual legacy of the deceased is worth remembering but the art of tombstones is also of unparalleled value.

The National Heritage Institute would like to invite visitors to these magnificent sculptures by presenting the Sculpture Park project. The presentation of the sculptural works includes the history of the tomb sculptures and a short biography of the sculptor. The contents can be accessed by reading the QR codes placed on top of each plot stone. At present, 50 works have been described, however, research and publication of knowledge related to these works of art will be ongoing. Visitors of the cemetery can search the QR codes on the cemetery plot stones from the beginning of summer. The National Heritage Institute will present this new project to a wider audience at a press conference as part of WDEC.

May 28 (3.30 p.m.): Secrets of an oasis in the heart of the city – The Fiume Road Cemetery (guided tour in English)

The National Heritage Institute is expanding its thematic programs with a free 1,5 to 2 hour-long English-language guided tour so that English-speaking visitors could learn the secrets of the green oasis in the heart of Budapest. This is an immersive tour of the oldest still functioning cemetery in the city of Budapest. Images of art, wounds of war, secrets and symbols mixed with the private lives and loves of the greatest Hungarians, will all be revealed! We are looking forward to you joining our tour.

May 28 (6.30. p.m.): Guided tour on the great figures of Hungarian literature (in Hungarian)

As part of our tour in addition to János Arany and Mihály Vörösmarty, you can get an insight into the lives of Antal Szerb, Béla Balázs, Anna Lesznai, Mari Jászai and Lenke Bajza.

However, the focus will be on János Arany who was a great Hungarian poet in the 19th century and is known to all Hungarian schoolchildren. He spent his entire life in the "bondage" of her civic occupation. János Arany believed that a poet should make a living with the help of their day job so that he could be independent. He ruled his heart with his mind, and even so, he created an exceptionally rich oeuvre.

This will be an excellent introduction to a poetry theater performance of the works of János Arany.

May 28 (8 p.m.): Poetry theater with Miklós Turek in the Fiumei Road Cemetery

The National Heritage Institute is introducing a new program. At the end of the guided tour on the great figures of Hungarian literature, as first of a three-part series, you can hear the poems of János Arany performed by Miklós Turek. The performance entitled My Soul, my Gold! (arany means gold) will be a version of the monodrama of the actor Miklós Turek adapted to a special place, the tombstone of János Arany.

The Fiumei Road Cemetery is a suitable location for Poetry Theater not only because of the poets who rest here, but also because a main goal of the National Heritage Institute is to reach young people, so Miklós Turek's performances fits our Historical and Cultural Memory Education Program, launched last year, perfectly.

May 29 (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.): In the footsteps of heroes – Family Day in the Fiumei Road Cemetery

The Fiume Road Graveyard National Memorial is the final resting place of many heroes of modern Hungary. People, whose actions and decisions had an impact on Hungary’s fate. On the Day of Remembrance of Hungarian Heroes, we remember them because our country would not be the same without them.

Programs of the Budakeszi Traditional Military Association include artillery demonstration with a copy of Áron Gábor's cannon (every half hour), infantry weapons demonstration (front-loading rifle handling, individual and assault fires), bayonet demonstration, 1848 military recruiter with children - formal training (turns, marching, handling rifles) and an illustration of camp life in contemporary tents.

The cunning Szekler’s tale (a puppet show) and crafts activities such as making a wooden spoon puppet or creating your own heroic merit order will help the next generation remember our heroes.

June 1 (11 a. m.): Opening of the exhibition entitled "A place where… European graveyards in the Fiumei Road Cemetery"

The National Heritage Institute is hosting an outdoor photo exhibition. We believe that historic cemeteries are special places. They are imprints of history and artistic heritage of countries. With our exhibition we want to conjure the atmosphere of European historic cemeteries. Similar to the Fiumei Road Cemetery and Salgótarjáni Street Jewish Cemetery there are special graveyards all over Europe that tell the story of culture of the given country. Photo posters take you to many cities in various countries and entice you to explore these amazing locations in person.

The exhibition showcases the best of a photo book that flashes the mood of 37 cemeteries in 15 countries on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of ASCE. Each of the presented graveyard is unique and diverse, but similar at the same time: they carry the imprints of chapters of our common European history and are waiting to be discovered.

WDEC 2022 in Rijeka

Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2022 in Rijeka (Croatia) is dedicated to the unveiling of Artists’ resting places in the Cemetery Kozala and Trsat.

Week of Discovering European Cemeteries is the most important ASCE project that connects people and points out the heritage in our cemeteries. In Rijeka, the event was held for the first time in 2015, and during these years, citizens of Rijeka have recognized it as a new way to learn about the history of their city.

This year's theme: Artists’ resting places

The Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2022, which will take place from 23 to 31 May, will focus on artists who found their final resting place in Rijeka's cemeteries.

The program began on Monday, May 23 at 11.30 a.m. with the opening of an exhibition on the city’s Promenade (Rijeka Korzo). The exhibition consist of 16 photographs of graves in the Kozala and Trsat cemeteries where artists of various profiles are buried.

On the same day, at 6 pm, a tour of the Kozala Cemetery was held under the expert guidance of art historian Daina Glavočić. During the educational walk the graves of artists buried in this cemetery were visited.

A tour of the Trsat Cemetery, also under the guidance of Daina Glavočić, will be held on Wednesday, May 25, at 6 p.m.

Other days are intended for individual visits to the Kozala and Trsat cemeteries with the help of a special brochure prepared specifically for this year's Week of Discovering European Cemeteries.

• Brochure WDEC 2022 (eng)
• Program WDEC 2022 (hr)

You can see some highlights from the exhibition opening, press conference and cemetery tours in the photos below.

Photo exhibition opening and press conference:

Guided tour at Kozala Cemetery:

Guided tour at Trsat Cemetery: