There are 700 trees in the Geretsried forest cemetery.
In autumn, the leaves provide work.
There are also many graves to be looked after - especially before All Saints' Day.
A visit.
Geretsried - Beautiful, old trees, wide paths and inviting benches: The Geretsried forest cemetery is like a large park.
A walk across the 9.2 hectare area is always nice.
A tour in autumn is particularly atmospheric.
Then when the leaves of the beech trees shine in the most beautiful autumn colors.
The head of the cemetery, Richard Zimolong, can enjoy this sight every day.
And that even after almost 17 years.
Geretsrieder has been working at the forest cemetery that long.
"I used to be in the computer industry," says Zimolong.
“But I am a nature lover and I like to be outside.” At the moment, the 51-year-old and his team of three have their hands full, “so that everything is clean on All Saints' Day”.
They diligently rake up the leaves.
According to Inken Domany from the city's environmental agency, a fully grown beech tree has between 200,000 and 800,000 leaves.
This can add up to 28 kilos per tree.
The leaves are then removed.
"We drive out around 260 truckloads," reports Zimolong.
There are 5000 graves in the forest cemetery
The forest cemetery was officially inaugurated 70 years ago and has been expanded again and again since then. There are currently around 5,000 graves - as grave memorials with stone or cross, as urn graves or as part of a community of rest. Anonymous burials and the burial of star children are also possible. The rest period for a normal grave is twelve years. Most of the time this is extended once by the relatives, according to Zimolong. In other cemeteries you can sometimes see tombstones without a name. Not so in Geretsried. According to Zimolong, it is not possible to reserve grave sites. Around 120 graves are cleared every year - sometimes even before the end of the rest period. “But we'll wait for that before the grave site is given again,” assures Geretsrieder. So far, around 10,000 people have been buried in the forest cemetery.
Recently, the fees caused displeasure.
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Turn to the rake: employee Waldemar Stolinski tries to get the many leaves under control.
© Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss
According to Zimolong, the classic burial in the coffin has been in retreat for some time.
Over 80 percent of the dead are now cremated and buried in an urn.
Whether in a grave or in a niche in the wall of the urn, that depends on the time of year, according to the head of the cemetery.
“People want to see where their relatives are buried.” That is why the trend in winter is towards urn walls.
During his time as head of the forest cemetery, he witnessed six or seven exhumations.
One thing in particular sticks in his mind.
“A daughter had her mother, who was buried in a coffin, exhumed,” recalls Zimolong.
Because their last wish was actually a cremation.
The daughter was obviously plagued by guilt, so the mother was subsequently cremated and buried.
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Richard Zimolong has been head of the forest cemetery for almost 17 years.
© Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss
There is not enough space for a cemetery
In order to relieve their relatives of the burial of the grave, some people decide during their lifetime to be buried in a quiet community that is tended by a gardener. Not far from the funeral hall, such a communal grave was dug five years ago. The demand is great, meanwhile almost all places are occupied. “Two more communal graves are in the planning stage,” announced Zimolong. The funeral ceremony is mostly Christian or non-denominational. "There are also Muslims who allowed themselves to be buried in a coffin," reports the 51-year-old. There are five such graves in the forest cemetery. If you look closely, you can even see a few crypts, which mostly well-known Geretsried entrepreneur families have made.
So far, the Beautification Association has always looked after the graves of the poor. Now he has broken up.
Would a cemetery also be a suitable form of burial?
There are enough trees.
“We don't have enough space here for that,” says biologist Inken Domany.
A few years ago the environmental agency took the trouble and counted all the large trees in the forest cemetery.
“We recorded and numbered 700,” adds the town hall employee.
The predominant species are beech, spruce, oak, pine and birch.
But there are also black pines, Scots pines, Douglas firs, firs, sycamore maples and thujas in addition to smaller ornamental trees such as the Japanese maple.
In addition to the location, the life cycle of beech trees and co. Is recorded in the table. This is also important with regard to road safety, says Domany.
Trees in the aging phase have to be freed of deadwood more often.
White paint protects trees from sunburn
Two beech trees stand out from the large stock. They are painted white on the south-facing side. The city hall employee explains that the color protects the trunk from sunburn. Despite good care, precipitation cannot be avoided. This year twelve trees had to be removed. The biologist: "It was mainly spruce." The gravelly subsoil is not ideal for the shallow roots and an adequate water supply is therefore not guaranteed. This weakens the trees and makes them vulnerable to pests like the bark beetle. But no tree has to be felled for a new grave, assures Domany. Incidentally, the city must also adhere to the tree protection ordinance and undertake replacement plantings. "If possible, in the cemetery, otherwise elsewhere." A tree that is robust and tolerates drought well,is the tree hazel. “This is the tree of the future.” For them, the forest cemetery is a special place in Geretsried. “It's great that there are such old beeches here. Not every municipality has that. "
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