Green City Councilor Evelin Altenbeck is campaigning for a funeral forest in Moosburg.
However, the initiative has been criticized by the Church Foundation of St. Kastulus.
Moosburg
– Once again there are big plans for the inconspicuous tree area on the southern edge of Moosburg, right next to the former B11: just a few years ago the Montessori school was supposed to be built there, and after this plan was rejected, the transformation into a natural cemetery is now in progress in conversation.
In any case, Green City Councilor Evelin Altenbeck recently officially applied for it.
In her letter to Mayor Josef Dollinger and her colleagues on the committee, she recalls that the property in Oberreith has belonged to the city for around 40 years and that an originally planned cemetery failed at the time due to resistance from the population "since this place seemed too remote".
As a result, a tree nursery of the city nursery was accommodated there.
Space for alternative forms of burial
At the same time, Altenbeck argues, there is "no longer endless space for graves" in the Moosburg cemetery at the Michaelikirche and in the extension area, and the urn wall will also not have free space for very long.
At the same time, there is an increasing desire among the population for alternative forms of burial outside of the traditional graves with a tombstone or an urn in the wall.
"Mourning parks, memorial forests or natural cemeteries" would offer a good alternative here.
Altenbeck writes: "In my opinion, the Oberreith property offers a very nice opportunity to create a very special place of mourning, remembrance and new beginnings." The beautiful tree population there can be used as tree graves.
(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)
The Green Councilor wants to use a larger open space south of the path for meadow graves with a common memorial stone and nameplates.
Altenbeck also has rose graves based on the plant in the city coat of arms in mind.
In meadow and rose graves, burials are only conceivable with a shroud.
Costs of 100,000 euros are in the room
Addressed to the town hall administration, the applicant asks to clarify "which form of the burial ground is permissible or desirable in a possible funeral forest".
A municipal sponsorship should also be examined.
You may need a new post for that.
When it comes to the costs, Altenbeck proposes to allocate 100,000 euros for planning and construction to the municipal budget for 2023.
Even before the proposal could be discussed in a meeting of the city council, the Catholic church foundation St. Kastulus had already spoken out: In a statement by the Moosburg cemetery operator (
see next paragraph
), Altenbeck's arguments are in part clearly contradicted.
And those responsible accuse the city councilor of not having sought the conversation in advance.
The statement of the church foundation St. Kastulus in the wording
"As those responsible for the Church Foundation of St. Kastulus, which runs the cemetery, we comment on the application from City Councilor Evelin Altenbeck: A query to the responsible authorities would have been enough to find out that the next few years there would be space for burials in the previous cemetery is.
Periods for graves are not extended again and again.
This also applies to the urn niches.
The expansion has not been needed for the last 40 years and, according to the figures we have, it will not be needed in the next few years.
If she had done enough research, Ms. Altenbeck would also have found that there are also earth graves for urns in the cemetery at Michaelikirche, which are very popular.
If you want an urn burial, you can choose between an urn wall and burial in a new, small or existing grave.
The Church Foundation is already taking this trend into account.
It is planned for the near future to also offer burials under trees in order to meet the wishes of the population here as well.
From our point of view, this natural cemetery is not necessary.
The city can use the money more sensibly for other projects such as the indoor swimming pool or school buildings, which are more necessary because: The 100,000 euros next year will certainly not be enough if another permanent position is to be created.”
Signatory to the statement:
Reinhold Föckersperger (City Pastor), Herbert Neumaier (Head of Administration), Claudia John (Church Nurse), Ursula Betz (Chairwoman of the Parish Council)
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