Begräbniswald or Funeral Forest as a Form of Natural Burial

What is a Begräbniswald? The one I will show you is a natural burial site. Begräbnis means funeral and Wald means forest. We Germans have a yearning for woodlands, groves, forests. So the idea isn’t farfetched to bury the dead there. However, only ashes in degradable urns are allowed in these funeral forests.

Here I will show an example in Bergisch Gladbach Hand, which is only a 15 minute drive away from where I live. I took the pictures during April 2017.

 

 More a park than a forest

Spring blossoms above the funeral forest

The brass plates show the names and dates of the deceased. Benches for the visitors.

These funral light are only allowed there for obvious reasons.

If you seek me, 

seek me in your hearts. 

If I have found a place there, 

I will always be with you. 

Rainer Maria Rilke

  In memory of our relatives buried here.

That is how the trees are marked.

According to the rules it's an infringement, but so sweet! (No decoration allowed - it's a forest, not a graveyard.

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