At the moment we are working hard on refurbishing and expanding the cemetery on Tongerseweg in Maastricht. It is now also a natural cemetery.
This makes the site a mourning and memorial park.
Flowery lawn
According to project leader Rean Vissers of the municipality of Maastricht, there is a lot of demand for natural burials. “You are buried in a flowery lawn. There is no grave monument. The relatives can look at nature and know approximately where their loved one is buried. There is a lot of demand for it and we would like to give the residents of Maastricht that opportunity.”
No gravestones
That is why it was decided to also meet this demand during the adjustments to the cemetery in Maastricht. This means that there will be no gravestones but wooden discs with a name and the date of the deceased. Flowers and grass also predominate on a natural cemetery.
Looking for owner
More than 800 of the 12,000 graves have been excavated. There are probably more to follow, but the municipality is still looking for the owner of some graves. These graves can be recognized by a sign with the request to contact the municipality.
Memorial Cube
In the park there will be places where it is possible to scatter the ashes of a deceased on the spot where a tree is being planted. A modern Memorial Cube will also be installed. The ashes of the deceased are processed in it, together with a QR code. Everyone in the world can visit the Memorial Cube via the code. “The Cube can hold 3000 ash spheres, a futuristic thing”, according to Vissers.
Expansion of the Islamic part
The Islamic part of the cemetery is also being expanded. Due to the corona measures, it is more difficult for Muslims to be buried in their country of origin. And so there is also a greater need for Islamic graves.
The new mourning and memorial park also has the option to purchase a grave for eternity. The implementation of the project involves an investment of 900.00 euros.