Higher Cost for Final Farewell: Introduced Funeral Fees in Ulm
In the picturesque city of Ulm, a debate is unfolding over the future of its cemeteries. Critics are advocating for changes, including improved maintenance, increased green space preservation, and even reconsidering cemetery layouts to better balance respect for the dead with ecological and community interests.
At the heart of this debate is Daniel Streidt, a fifth-generation funeral director, who criticizes the new fees as "not really well thought out." Streidt, who struggles with rising costs, mainly due to bureaucracy and regulations, wishes local funeral directors had been involved in discussions about making the cemetery more attractive before the fees were changed.
Alexander Helbach of Aeternitas offers a different perspective. He suggests that family structures have changed and traditions are less important, leading to classic cemetery graves being less in demand. Instead, he proposes that a municipal cemetery should think about financing and improve the offer to break the vicious circle of increased fees and decreased demand for classic graves.
Helbach's ideas are finding resonance in the growing preference for alternative burial options. Only 25% of Germans prefer a classic urn or coffin grave, according to a representative survey. In Ulm, community graves of various sizes are well-received, and burial forests and maintenance-free burial forms on the cemetery are becoming more popular.
However, not all changes are welcomed without reservation. Urn niches, for instance, are not considered new ways by everyone. They would require high investment costs and the ashes would have to be buried namelessly somewhere on the cemetery after the period of rest.
The city of Ulm is proactively addressing these concerns. They plan to adjust its cemetery prices every two years to prevent large jumps. Furthermore, a draft law in Rhineland-Palatinate is being discussed, which could lead to new ways in Ulm cemeteries.
Ultimately, everyone agrees that everyone in Ulm should continue to be buried with dignity, in whatever way. The challenge lies in finding a balance between tradition and modernity, respect for the dead and the needs of the living, and maintaining the city's rich burial heritage while adapting to changing times. Straub-Gollinger, the Ulm cemetery director, encapsulates this sentiment perfectly: "I must adapt to trends as long as they do not lead people away from a burial on the cemetery."
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