Association of Significant Cemeteries of Europe

Photo exhibition "Significant cemeteries for sustainable Europe"

Photo exhibition at Pobrežje Cemetery in Maribor, Slovenia

The company Pogrebno podjetje Maribor, presiding member of ASCE, has prepared a special photo exhibition at Pobrežje Cemetery in Maribor, Slovenia.

About the exhibition

The exhibition "Significant cemeteries for sustainable Europe" showcases photographs and descriptions of some good practices developed by ASCE members as part of the ASCE "Significant cemeteries for sustainable Europe" initiative, which promotes the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The installation presents the initiative, highlights activities implemented by nine cemeteries across Europe in 2024 and 2025, and also features the Peace Tree Project along with the cemeteries that have joined the project so far. These examples demonstrate how European cemeteries are actively working towards sustainability, addressing various aspects from environmental management to community engagement.

More than just a display of good practice, the exhibition seeks to raise awareness and inspire action. It invites visitors to see cemeteries not only as places of remembrance but also as key actors in sustainable development. By sharing these stories, it encourages communities across Europe to adopt similar approaches and reflect on sustainability in everyday life.

This long-term exhibition, located in front of the chapel at Pobrežje Cemetery in Maribor, Slovenia, is on display from September 2025 onwards.

Photos of the exhibition

*The entire photo album of the exhibition is available HERE.

Call for hosting AGM 2027 and 2028

The New Cemetery of Belgrade (Belgrade, Serbia)

Seize the opportunity to host the ASCE Annual General Meeting and Conference and take advantage of the benefits this role brings to your cemetery and city.

Benefits of hosting AGM

Each year the Annual General Meeting attracts over 100 cemetery academics, artists and professionals from all over Europe. We generate a lot of public attention and through the conference help expose important topics from modern cemeteries management.

Hosting the AGM is a great opportunity especially when it coincides with other relevant events of the city. The main benefits are:

international exposure through several communication channels of ASCE, especially in professional, diplomatic and academic circles;
attention of local and regional media due to interesting authors and international attendance;
networking for local companies allowing to promote their products and services through sponsorship or other inclusions into the conference theme;
international promotion of local academics and networking with other institutions thus creating new possibilities for joint researches;
proposing and directing the theme relevant for local cemetery or situation and thus gathering important know-how for solving the situations.

Guidelines and application form

Due to much interest in hosting this event, we have prepared guidelines to help all candidates navigate the application process.

To apply to host the AGM 2027 or 2028, please follow the link below.

➤ AGM host application form

Application deadline: 15 November 2025

*Photo of the The New Cemetery of Belgrade in Belgrade, Serbia.

AGM 2026: Save the date

The next AGM and Conference will be held earlier than usual, this time from 18 to 20 June 2026 in Turin, Italy.

About the AGM and Conference

Each year, the Annual General Meeting attracts over 100 cemetery academics, artists and professionals from all over Europe. It generates a lot of public attention and through the conference helps expose important topics on cemetery's history, art, architecture, cultural heritage, sustainability, management, and future trends.

AGM 2026 in Turin

Following the success of the 2025 AGM and Conference, we are excited to announce our next meeting, this time scheduled earlier than usual, in the summer of 2026. We anticipate another thoughtfully curated event featuring relevant topics and a rich cultural program, ensuring an inspiring and memorable experience for all participants.

Join us at the AGM and Conference 2026, taking place from 18 to 20 June in Turin, Italy.

A call for papers, as well as all the details about the event program, accommodation, and other logistics, will be released in the coming months, so don't forget to check our website for updates.

We look forward to seeing you in June 2026.

ASCE presidency

AGM 2025 report

On 4 September 2025, the ASCE Annual General Meeting took place in Dresden, Germany, organized by Women in Remembrance Culture (WIRC).

Over 60 participants joined the meeting and members' attendance quorum requirement was reached in the second call.

The AGM was preceded by Mrs Lidija Pliberšek, president of ASCE, and all steering committee members were present or gave proxy to other members. During the AGM several things were outlined and discussed:

1.Introduction

Welcome speech by ASCE president, Mrs Lidija Pliberšek.

2.Presidency and Steering Committee activities 2024/2025

Steering Committee meetings and sessions
AGM 2024 in Budapest, Hungary
European Cemeteries Route received the Best Practice Award 2024
Attendance at the All-Slovenian Cultural Routes meeting in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Attendance at the International Conference on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe in Nova Gorica, Slovenia
Attendance at the Conference Cemeteries and Other Spaces of Democratic Memory in Barcelona, Spain
Attendance at the 12th Training Academy on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe in Torres Vedras, Portugal
Regular cooperation in the field of sustainable cemetery management with the Chamber of Public Utilities of Slovenia
Attendance at the European heritage day in Oslo: At home in Europe.
Charter development

3. Financial report and budget

4. ASCE administration and European Cemeteries Route activities 2024/2025

Administration and presidency work overview
IT maintainance and development:

Improving communications channels
Updating members data

AGMs and Conference support
Projects support
ARTOUR development
Cultural routes cooperation

5. Projects and activities

Significant cemeteries for sustainable Europe:

2024: Sustainable cities and communities
2025: Peace, justice and strong institutions
2026: Quality education

Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2025: Gardens of 80
Schools on cemeteries
Peace tree
Scientific work
Communications

6. New members and significant cemeteries

7. AGM 2026: from 18 to 20 June in Turin, Italy

8. Conclusions

Members engaged in various debates on topics during and after the AGM, confirming the report and plans for the future work of ASCE.

AGM materials

The detailed program and AGM presentation are available at this link. Photos, videos, and additional materials from the event will be released over the coming weeks.

Invitation to the Virtual Colloquium on cemeteries 2025

The Cemetery Research Group invites you to participate in the Virtual Colloquium on cemeteries, taking place entirely online on 21 November 2025.

About the Colloquium

On Friday, 21 November 2025, a virtual colloquium organized by the Cemetery Research Group will take place via Zoom.

The event will focus on places and practices relating to the disposal of the dead, including burial, cremation, and other methods. This year’s keynote speaker is Ruth E. Toulson (Maryland Institute College of Art), who will deliver a presentation titled “The Last Cemetery: Shifting Deathscapes in Contemporary Singapore”.

Tickets for the colloquium will be available on the CRG website starting 11 October 2025.

Call for Papers

The colloquium invites researchers from the social sciences and humanities, as well as postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers, to submit papers that combine theoretical insight with empirical research on the proposed theme.

Each presentation will have a thirty-minute slot, allowing roughly twenty minutes for the talk and time for questions. The event is open to contributors from around the world, with panels arranged to accommodate different time zones. All presentations must be in English.

Abstracts can be submitted via this Google Form by 1 October 2025.

For any questions please contact Dr Julie Rugg at julie.rugg@york.ac.uk.

New book series

In related publishing news, Routledge has launched a new book series titled “Accommodating the Dead: Materialities, Rituals and Technologies”. The series explores the evolving and multi-faceted study of the dead body and the diverse ways humans engage with it, with an international and interdisciplinary scope.

Naturalmente Imola 2025 at Piratello Cemetery

On 28 September 2025, a guided tour will be held at the Piratello Cemetery in Imola, Italy, as part of the Naturalmente Imola program.

About Naturalmente Imola

Naturalmente Imola (Eng. Naturally Imola) is a cultural and environmental initiative promoted by the Municipality of Imola, Italy. It features guided tours, talks, and other activities designed to highlight the city’s natural heritage and to foster greater awareness of the relationship between people, landscapes, and biodiversity.

Program

As part of the 2025 edition, two events dedicated to the theme of trees and their significance in contemporary society will take place on Sunday, 28 September.

➤ 3:00 PM – Piratello Cemetery
Event: Great Trees at Piratello
Description: Guided tour led by Stefano Tedioli, an arborist with over thirty years of professional experience, lecturer, and specialist in urban tree management. The tour will provide insights into the analysis and care of trees in urban contexts, which are increasingly affected by climate change.

➤ 5:00 PM – Ridotto of the Stignani Theater
Event: The Sun and the Moon, the Roots and the Enigma of Great Terrestrial Trees – Or How Tree-Giants Could Save Us from Time and from Ourselves
Description: Meeting with writer Tiziano Fratus. His work, inspired by encounters with monumental trees, historic gardens, and forests in Italy and abroad, has developed into an original body of thought and literature. Among his central concepts are Homo Radix, Dendrosophy, and the Itinerant Forest, expressed through publications ranging from poetry and prose to children’s literature, exhibitions, and meditations.

The events are organized jointly by the Municipality of Imola in collaboration with CIMS.

The full program of Naturalmente Imola (in Italian) is available HERE.

Reservations required

For more information and reservations, please contact attivita.culturali@comune.imola.bo.it or call +39 0542 602300.

Municipal Cemetery of Patras (Patras, Greece)

Since 1880, the First Municipal Cemetery of Patras has grown into a city within a city, with four hills, grand family tombs, and the striking Church of the Angels.

Origins and foundation

The First Municipal Cemetery of Patras was founded on February 17, 1880, and opened on August 1st of the same year, under the initiative of the then mayor, Athanasios Kanakaris-Roufos. For this purpose, a special committee was formed, chaired by the mayor himself, together with the reputable Papatheodorou, Dionysios Fragkopoulos, Kyriakos Lappas, Andreas Kollas, Athanasios Athanasopoulos, and Alfredo Krov as members.

Following medical research, the Zavlani area was selected as the most suitable location. Initially, approximately 79.000 m2 of land were purchased. In 1928, the cemetery was extended by an additional 4.000 m2 to allow the construction of the Church of the Angels, following a donation by Antonios Papageorgakopoulos. The project was initially assigned to Major Papageorgiou of the Engineering Corps, who was later replaced by engineer Spyridon Tzetzos.

Major churches

The Church of the Angels was designed by Professor Michelis and completed in 1954. The original Church of Saint Paraskevi, which was built alongside the cemetery, was destroyed by the powerful earthquakes of 1993 and rebuilt on the same site. There is also a Protestant church within the cemetery grounds.

The decoration of the churches with various sacred vessels was undertaken by prominent members of Patras society, such as Athanasios Kanakaris-Roufos, Tzetzos, Aspasia Kremmydi, Kalliopi Green, Ioulia Tzetzou, and others.

The cemetery’s four hills

In addition to the Orthodox section, there are also sections for Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. The first person to be buried in the First Cemetery of Patras was a merchant from Parga named Anagnostis Petsalis.

The cemetery contains four hills:

the Hill of the Fighters, named so because many freedom fighters of the 1821 War of Independence are buried there, such as Charalambis, Londos, etc.;
the Roufos Hill, where the family tomb of Benizelos Roufos is located;
the Saint Paraskevi Hill, where the church stands;
and the German Hill, where Germans were buried during the occupation.

Important monuments

The interest of visitors is attracted mostly by the monumental character and the architectural heritage of the site, as well as the beauty of the natural environment with the stunning views of the city and the sea. Particularly impressive is the avenue of bankers and merchants, which hosts the graves of the wealthiest families of Patras during the 1880–1920 period. Notable examples include the tombs of the Kollas family, Koggos Triantis family, Karamanndanis, Kalamogdartis, Roufos, Langouras, and others.

Cemetery address

141 Panepistimiou Str.
26443 Patras
Greece

Website

www.e-patras.gr/

Basic data

Year of first burial: 1880
Cemetery area: 10ha
Approximate number of graves: 5.888

Moravian God’s Acre Herrnhut Cemetery (Herrnhut, Germany)

Unique for its orderly layout, uniform gravestones, and gender-segregated sections, the cemetery embodies Moravian theology and community values.

Origins and layout

The God's Acre of Herrnhut was established in 1730, just eight years after the founding of the town. It is located at the foot of Hutberg Hill, where a wooden pavilion was erected in 1725 and later replaced by a new observation tower in 1908, which still stands today.

In 1731, the cemetery was bordered by an earth wall, and the first extensions became necessary in 1738 and 1741, with more following thereafter. In 1742, an avenue of lime trees was planted, connecting the cemetery with the town center.

The organization of the cemetery has been determined and monitored from the outset by the leadership of the congregation (initially the synod, now the council of elders). The site has remained intact, well maintained, and in continuous use from its beginnings to the present.

Burial practices

The first burial was that of the child Hans Beyer. From then on, members of the Moravian Church, newly founded by Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, were interred here.

From the beginning, the cemetery reflected Moravian theology and community values. Men and women were, and still are, buried in separate sections—women on the sisters’ side and men on the brothers’ side. There are no family graves. All gravestones are uniform and simple, regardless of wealth or social standing, usually inscribed only with names, dates, places of life, and a Bible verse.

The founder of the congregation was buried in the cemetery in 1760. His grave, along with those of several family members and companions, can be found along the cemetery’s main avenue, visually distinct from the other graves. At least two of these graves have crypts beneath them.

Significance and legacy

The Herrnhut cemetery holds exceptional importance for the Moravian Church community. On one hand, it is the final resting place of many notable figures from the founding period and later eras. On the other hand, it became a model for Moravian cemeteries worldwide and is considered one of the first systematically planned cemeteries in Europe.

Travel writers of the 18th century, such as Jean Paul, described Moravian cemeteries as remarkable and distinctive. In modern times, UNESCO has recognized the global legacy of Moravian settlements, beginning with Christiansfeld in Denmark (2015) and extending in 2024 to include Gracehill (UK), Bethlehem (USA), and Herrnhut (Germany), which together now form the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site of Moravian Settlements.