WDEC 2026 in Lithuania

Highlights from the guided walks at historic cemeteries in Lithuania that were held as part of Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2026.

About the Event

As part of the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2026, the Cultural Heritage Department under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania organized several educational guided walks across Lithuanian cemeteries. Aligned with this year's global emphasis on quality education, these initiatives successfully highlighted Lithuania's historic burial grounds not merely as places of mourning, but as open-air museums rich in architectural, historical, and regional heritage.

Guided Walks at the Historic Cemeteries of Vilnius

In the capital city of Vilnius, the public was invited to explore some of the country's most significant historic cemeteries. Led by historian Vida Girininkienė, a series of three specialized educational walks took place at Rasos Cemetery and Antakalnis Cemetery:

• 27 May 2026 | Educational walk “Historical Rasos”
• 28 May 2026 | Educational walk “Artistic Rasos”
• 29 May 2026 | Educational walk “Antakalnis Cemetery: Historical Cross-Sections”

Guided Walk at Panevėžys Old Cemetery

In northern Lithuania, an educational event took place in Panevėžys on 28 May 2026. The event began in the education hall of the Panevėžys Local Lore Museum, featuring introductory greetings from the head of the division, Rasuolė Kerbedienė, and specialized presentations by cultural heritage experts Indrė Baliulytė and Rasa Visockaitė.

Following the presentations, museum historians Dr. Arūnas Astramskas and Jūratė Gaidelienė led an interactive educational walk at the Panevėžys Old Cemetery (also known as the St. Peter and Paul Parish Cemetery) entitled “Memory in Cemeteries: Personal or Public?” During the walk, they guided participants through the distinctive local funerary art and regional history of the site.

Event Highlights

For more details, visit the organizers' website.

Some highlights from the guided walks at Panevėžys Old Cemetery and Antakalnis Cemetery in Vilnius can be seen in the videos below.

Highlights from AGM and Conference 2026

A look back at three inspiring days in Turin, shaped by education, heritage, innovation and memorable cultural experiences.

ASCE Annual General Meeting

From 18 to 20 June 2026, the ASCE AGM and Conference took place in Turin, Italy. The event opened with the Annual General Meeting on 18 June 2026, bringing together over 90 participants, including 47 members, who reviewed the Association’s activities and financial report, discussed current and future projects, and introduced new ASCE members and significant cemeteries.

The official AGM report and presentation are available HERE.
The digital volume of conference presentations is expected to be available in October 2026.

Life Lessons: Cemeteries as Educational Heritage

This year's conference focused on the theme "Life Lessons: Cemeteries as Educational Heritage", welcoming professionals from a wide range of disciplines to exchange ideas on how cemeteries can serve as places of learning, remembrance and cultural interpretation. Through inspiring presentations, participants explored innovative educational approaches, shared best practices and discussed new perspectives on communicating cemetery heritage to diverse audiences.

Interactive Workshops at the Cemetery

The conference extended beyond the lecture hall on the second day, when the Monumental Cemetery of Turin became an open-air learning environment. Instead of traditional sessions, participants joined practical workshops across the cemetery, experiencing it in a more interactive and engaging way. Following the workshops, a fleet of electric bicycles awaited participants, offering a sustainable and enjoyable journey back to Turin's city centre—an appreciated opportunity to experience the city from a different perspective while promoting environmentally friendly mobility.

Digital Innovation Meets Cultural Heritage

Innovation also played an important role throughout the event. Participants had a chance to explore the Monumental Cemetery of Turin using the ARTour mobile app, discovering remarkable historical figures through carefully designed self-guided (audio) routes while experiencing first-hand how digital technology can enhance heritage interpretation. This visit was further enriched by a moving live performance by students from the Liceo Coreutico Teatrale Germana Erba.

Networking Through Local Experiences

Alongside the official programme, the AGM and Conference offered several opportunities for informal networking and authentic local experiences. Participants could join a guided tour and beer tasting at the historic Metzger Brewery or enjoy a relaxed evening at the TONO Beer House. Vouchers were also provided for independent visits of some of Turin's historic cafés, each preserving its original atmosphere and period interiors. These relaxed social occasions created valuable opportunities to strengthen existing friendships, establish new professional connections and continue discussions beyond the conference walls.

An Unforgettable Gala Evening

One of the highlights of the social programme was the Gala Dinner, hosted in the remarkable surroundings of the Egyptian Museum of Turin. The evening was enriched with access to a special "Hieroglam" fashion exhibition, providing participants with a unique cultural experience in one of Europe's most prestigious museums and creating an unforgettable setting for celebrating the ASCE community.

Discovering Turin and Its Cultural Heritage

The AGM and Conference 2026 concluded with a variety of optional cultural activities that allowed participants to further explore Turin according to their own interests. These included a guided walk through the city’s historic centre, themed heritage itineraries, and the opening concert of the Feast of St. John, featuring a symphonic performance of Beethoven’s music in the remarkable atmosphere of the Monumental Cemetery of Turin.

Three Days of Knowledge, Collaboration and Inspiration

Over three inspiring days, the AGM and Conference 2026, excellently organised by AFC Torino S.p.A., brought together over 200 participants from 26 countries and combined academic exchange, practical learning, cultural discovery and warm hospitality. The carefully designed programme created countless opportunities for dialogue, collaboration and shared experiences, leaving participants with new knowledge, stronger professional connections and lasting memories of Turin and the Piedmont region.

We would like to thank the organisers, participants, and all contributors who helped make this another outstanding and memorable event!

You can access all photos and videos at the link below.

➤ Photos & Videos

WDEC 2026 at the City cemetery "Pri Sv. Duhu"

City Cemetery “Pri Sv. Duhu” in Koprivnica, Croatia, marked WDEC 2026 with an educational walk for high school students and a new promotional video.

City cemetery promotional video

As part of the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries (WDEC), held from 22 to 31 May 2026 and organized by the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE), the City Cemetery “Pri Sv. Duhu” in Koprivnica, managed by Komunalac LLC, once again took part in this significant annual event. As a member of ASCE, the Koprivnica cemetery promotes the value of cemeteries as places of cultural heritage, history, art, and memory through its activities.

On this occasion, a new promotional video about the city cemetery was produced. Cemeteries are much more than places of remembrance – they are open-air museums and guardians of local history, architecture, and cultural heritage. Through this video, Komunalac LLC invites visitors to take a walk through the cemetery and discover its peace, artistic value, and the stories of notable individuals who have shaped our city. You can watch the video HERE.

Educational walk for students

This year’s event theme focuses on knowledge and quality education for young people, with the aim of introducing them to cultural heritage, history and important people through an interesting and student-friendly approach.

As part of the program, an educational walk through the city cemetery was held on May 28, 2026, with the participation of first-grade students from the “Fran Galović” General High School, accompanied by their class teacher Mišela Lokotar and history teacher Maja Maček Trešcec. The educational tour was led by cemetery manager Josipa Loinjak and horticultural engineer Nataša Njegovec along a pre-planned route designed for high school students.

Learning about heritage and sustainability

During the tour, the students learned about the history of the cemetery and its significance for the local community, as well as interesting facts about notable individuals and important historical events. They also explored the cemetery’s landscape, horticultural, and architectural values. Special emphasis was placed on raising awareness of the importance of preserving cultural heritage and respecting spaces of memory.

In addition to the educational content, the students had the opportunity to learn about the cemetery’s new, more advanced waste separation system, which helps reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and increases the share of recyclable materials.

Liberation Day in the cemeteries of SEFIT Utilitalia in Italy

As part of the Italian Cemeteries Enhancement Activities, the ‘Monuments and Headstones Tell the Story of the Liberation’ project honors the Italian Resistance during World War II.

About the project

April 25 marks the anniversary of Italy's Liberation, marking the end of the Nazi occupation and the fall of the Fascist regime in 1945. The Italian public cemeteries of Utilitalia Sefit's Historical, Artistic, and Tourism Enhancement Working Group (WG) tell, through their headstones and monuments, the stories of many partisans, civilian victims, and all those who fell for Freedom within and beyond their walls.

In this year's project, the WG for the Enhancement of Cemeteries uses the red poppy as a symbol of remembrance as the underlying theme in the short video. Indeed, the National Association of Italian Partisans (ANPI) recognizes the red poppy as the symbol of the partisan. But it is also the symbol of the fallen in war, for the red color of the blood spilled on the battlefields, and it is the symbol of the strength of nature and of the Resistance because it is a spontaneous flower that blooms even among the rubble.

It doesn't have many images and captions, but by scanning the QR code included for each city, you can access more detailed information on the headstones, tombs, ceremonies, and events.

With this eight-and-a-half-minute video, we share the social energy of our work online.

Video of Europe’s Cultural Routes in Italy

The Italian Ministry of Culture has released a new one-hour video showcasing, for the first time, the 36 Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe that cross Italian territory.

About the project

The video highlights several major European itineraries that are part of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe and pass through Italy, such as the Camino de Santiago, the Via Francigena, the Route of Aeneas, Leonardo da Vinci’s Routes, ATRIUM, Iter Vitis, the Phoenicians’ Route, the Way of St. Francis, and others. The Cultural Routes are presented thematically, illustrating Europe’s shared heritage across history, architecture, religion, landscapes, and cultural traditions, while also promoting sustainable tourism and cooperation between institutions and local stakeholders.

European Cemeteries Route

Among the routes featured in the video is also the European Cemeteries Route, certified in 2010 and coordinated by the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe. The European Cemeteries Route connects historic cemeteries across Europe as cultural landscapes that reflect European history, art, and collective memory. In the video, it is illustrated with images of several Italian cemeteries, including:

• the Monumental Cemetery of Lavagna,
• the Monumental Cemetery of Mantua,
• the Certosa Monumental Cemetery in Bologna,
• the Monumental Cemetery of Verona,
• the Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome,
• andthe Verano Monumental Cemetery in Rome.

The video

The European Cemeteries Route is featured from 31:38 onwards.

Severed: A Tribute to Peace

Torino, Italy, presents a moving video created as part of the WDEC 2025, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with a powerful message of peace, memory, and reflection.

About the project

As part of the 2025 Week of Discovering European Cemeteries (WDEC), Turin, Italy, has unveiled a moving video production titled Severed, reflecting on the enduring impact of war and the urgent call for peace. The project coincides with the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and aligns with this year’s WDEC theme, Gardens of 80, which emphasizes Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions – the goal 16 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Severed is a collaborative effort by the Associazione Nazionale Vittime Civili di Guerra di Torino, Piemonte e Valle d'Aosta, AFC Torino S.p.A., Liceo Coreutico Teatrale Germana Erba, and the Fondazione Germana Erba's Friends. The production blends a musical performance with video storytelling, utilizing historical archives from the ANVCG, the Monumental Cemetery of Turin, and the Ossuary Monument dedicated to civilian war victims.

Featuring young performers, the video encourages reflection on the devastating consequences of war, linking historical memory with a vision for a peaceful future. The project serves as a moving reminder of the human cost of conflict, urging viewers to consider past tragedies and the continuous importance of peace and justice.

Ultimately, Severed stands out as a great example of how art and memory can combine to inspire dialogue and reflection, giving voice to younger generations.

Video:

WDEC 2023 at the First Cemetery of Athens

Take a guided tour or observe the maintenance process of two bronze statues at the First Cemetery of Athens during the WDEC 2023.

28 May 2023: Spend time, walk, observe, feel, and share knowledge

Following the rhythm of the famous Athens City Festival in May, the City of Athens would like to invite you to a guided tour of the First Cemetery of Athens on 28 May 2023, at 17.30, on which we will explore the history and monuments of the most important Athenian open-air museum.

Located in the heart of Athens, just a 15-minute stroll from the Acropolis, the First Cemetery is open to anyone who wants to walk in a beautiful place full of cypresses and towering pines, majestic romantic and neoclassical sculptures. During a tour we can share knowledge, memories, and stories, and therefore, connect.

You can find more details at https://cityfestival.thisisathens.org/en/outdoor-28-en/.

1 – 4 June 2023: Preserving two female statues, representing great Greek figures of Arts and Letters

Starting from last year, the City of Athens established an annual collaboration with the University of West Attica, performing surface cleaning and maintenance on bronze sculptures during the WDEC. 

Thinking about the theme of WDEC 2023 (mental and physical health and well-being in the cemeteries), we prepared a conservation action for two bronze female sculptures in the central square of the cemetery: that of the actress Marika Kotopouli Tomb and the bust of the scholar Kalliroi Parren.

By talking about their biography and how these personalities are represented in the cemetery, we connect to the arts and letters, theater and witting that keep our memory, minds, and bodies active and contribute to our well-being. 

 The action will take place from 1 to 4 of June. Visitors as well as students will have the opportunity to observe, learn and connect.

Cemetery video

Discover the First Cemetery of Athens also through this promotional video made by the City of Athens / Department of Cultural Heritage.

Contact information:

City of Athens / Department of Cultural Heritage
T: +302103721596, 2103721555
E-mail: t.pol.klironomias@athens.gr

WDEC 2022 in Varaždin

As part of the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2022, the Electromechanical School in Varaždin has implemented a project that combines mathematics, historical heritage and the Varaždin Cemetery.

Combining mathematics and history

Students of the first grade of the Electromechanical School in Varaždin (Croatia), majoring in media technician, joined the research of the Varaždin Cemetery as a topic for applying to the "Mathematics+" competition. The result was an interesting blend of mathematics and history.

About the project

After visiting the State Archives in Varaždin, students got the idea to statistically process data from the Registry of the Dead of the Parish of St. Nicholas in the period 1891-1896. The research was conducted through several days of work in the archive.

The aim of the research was to find out the average age of death of Varaždin people from the end of the 19th century, the most common causes of death, and to analyze data by age groups, gender and time period.

Project video

After the research, a promotional video about the cemetery was made in cooperation with the second grade students, also in the field of media technicians. The video itself shows the valuable heritage and special atmosphere of the Varazdin cemetery.

WDEC 2022 in Zadar

Before visiting Zadar (Croatia) in person, we invite you to discover the City Cemetery of Zadar through a video of some stunning spots in the old part of the cemetery.

Video of the City Cemetery of Zadar

This year, City Cemetery of Zadar is celebrating the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries with a short video which presents the cemetery through the most beautiful details in the oldest part. This part is located near a dozen 200-year-old cypress trees and it is placed under the State Administration for Cultural Heritage.

Photos of the AGM 2021

Three days of the ASCE Annual General Meeting 2021 in Budapest, summarized in a short photo review.

Guided walk at Varaždin Cemetery - highlights

On 2nd June 2015, during the Week of discovering European Cemeteires (WDEC), a guided walk named "Revived Past" took place at the Varaždin Cemetery (Croatia).

Cemeteries route video

Video about the cemeteries route was released these days. Presenting the European cultures, resting in cemeteries.