There is obviously a demand. Just because the topic was on the agenda of monday evening’s meeting of the presseck municipal council, two inquiries about it were received in the town hall, according to frank wunner, the head of the business office.
25 burials in three months
According to constantin freiherr von reizenstein, 25 burials took place in the forest cemeteries in naila and issigau in the first three months of this year. They are models for the project in heinersreuth, which franz freiherr von rotenhan presented to the town council. Rotenhan’s forestry administration operates three sites in the chemnitz-zwickau-aue triangle; reizenstein’s forestry administration has operated two since december in naila and issigau.
He had already been pregnant with this idea in 2014, said ludwig von lerchenfeld. He had given an intern in his forestry operation the incentive for her bachelor’s thesis for the completion of her studies in forestry science. She had also asked residents in heinersreuth and the surrounding villages about this. The people had expressed themselves quite positively to an urn burial in the forest "naturally not all", according to von lerchenfeld.
In the past few years, people have increasingly developed a love of nature, also with the consequence of being buried there one day. Moreover, the burial on land is no longer the rule today.
160 year old trees
According to rotenhan, only churches or municipalities were allowed to be the sponsors of friedhofen. The municipal council had to approve the project in connection with the land use plan. To the north of heinersreuth castle, a flat area of 3.3 hectares is planned for this purpose. There, in the middle of a conifer-dominated mixed forest, lies a park-like beech forest with 160 to 180 year-old trees with trunk diameters of 50 centimeters to a meter.
The access would be possible via an existing path behind the buildings of the castle grounds; there would also be flat areas to create a parking lot. The urns are not buried anonymously, according to rotenhan. In most cases, a tree is selected while the deceased is still alive, next to which the deceased wishes to be buried later. Next to a smaller single tree there is an urn, under a large tree there are up to twelve "places".
All catalogued
All trees are catalogued so that the individual resting places can always be found. In addition, the names and dates of life of those buried are recorded on small plaques. Plantings and gravestones "the forest should remain a forest". Therefore no work and costs for the grave care were incurred; one must pay only for the temporary use of it over 20 to 60 years (which are however demandable) as well as for the burial.
As the cemetery’s sponsor, only a few tasks ultimately remained for the municipal administration. In addition, the municipality did not incur any costs, except for stamps for sending invoices. The lerchenfeld forestry administration as the owner had to take care of the traffic safety, including the securing of the trees.
"Nature cemetery frankenwald"
All organizational tasks remained with the reizenstein forestry administration. Appropriate contractual agreements were concluded between the sponsor, operator and owner.
The heinersreuth forest cemetery would formally be a part of the already existing "natural cemetery frankenwald, of an intercommunal funeral forest of the communities naila and issigau and then also presseck. Since the end of 2018, the flats in naila and near issigau have been laid out.
The grave sites there are covered by natural forest soil. In the middle of the area stands an eight-meter-high cross, including wooden benches in a semicircle around an altar-like table. The space can be used for liturgical services if the bereaved wish to do so.
"No competition
Mayor siegfried beyer was positive about the project and saw "no competition" to the two confessional cemeteries in presseck or the communal graveyards in reichenbach and wartenfels, but rather an enrichment, as a forest cemetery near heinersreuth drew regional and supraregional attention to presseck.
"But we will discuss this in detail in the council in the near future and then decide" he said.
The presseck municipal council has approved ludwig ruml’s application for a building permit. He wanted to increase the size of his garage at the end of the village by one and a half times. Two to three more lifts are to be installed there. Whether he will hire more workers for it, ruml did not want to commit himself for the time being.