During the public holiday of All Saints Day as well as the following All Souls Day, families in Luxembourg go to visit the graves of their loved ones and take the occasion, to put down fresh flowers at the graves. Each year, there are always some graves that look less cared for.
So what exactly happens with graves that have an expired lease?
RTL joined municipal council workers at the St Joseph graveyard in Esch-sur-Alzette to follow their process.
The workers go through the graveyard and check each grave in their registration book to examine when its lease expires. Some graves at the graveyard have been there since 1876.
In terms of the graves that have expired, the team first examines the grave for any type of historical or architectural significance. Graves with this type of significance are not removed. Other expired graves are marked with a red X (as seen in the photo below) and are put on a list for the gravestones to be knocked down. One of the workers specified that some more fragile graves, which could be considered a public risk, are immediately removed.
Currently, there are 2,000 graves in the St Joseph cemetary. Each year, around 300 graves have expired leases. Of that number, family members renew half on average.
As for the graves which are removed, the council offers to give the gravestone as a keepsake to the family. Only 15 in 100 people take the council up on this offer.
Leases for graves cost either €120 for 10 years or €250 for 30 years in Esch-sur-Alzette. The municipality workers explained the process for alerting family members that the graves' leases are nearing expiry. First, they put a sign on the grave in question reminding the family members that the lease needs renewing. The municipality also puts a reminder in national newspapers.
Ultimately, as most people visit graves around All Saints Day each year, they notice the sign on the grave. That said, as time goes on, there is less of a tendency to visit graveyards.
As for what happens with the gravestones that get removed? The council plants trees instead. The aim is to create a memory park with a new notable graves.
