Dear grandpa
There is always a place for you on the swing by the balcony.
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The portal bestatter.ch answers all your questions about funerals and funeral provisions.
Grave and tombstone
There are many types of graves: communal grave, family grave, burial grave, urn grave, niche grave, etc.
A grave is very often (not always) inscribed.
A classic urn or burial grave in the cemetery is usually inscribed first with a wooden cross, a wooden plaque and then later with a headstone. It should be said that in some places there is no obligation for a tombstone.
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The Swiss funeral portal.
How much does a tombstone cost?
A tombstone can cost different amounts depending on the design. From a simple gravestone of several hundred francs to an elaborately designed monument for many thousands of francs. Additional work such as the setting of the stone and the inscriptions will be charged separately. You can request a consultation from the regional stonemason or sculptor in your area.
How long will the coffin stay in the ground?
There is a so-called rest for the dead. This is guaranteed by a cemetery in any case, before that the grave will not be lifted. The prescribed resting period for new graves is 20 years. The resting period is always calculated from the time of the first burial. The subsequent interment of an urn on an existing urn or burial grave does not normally extend the period of rest.
As a rule, entire grave fields are cancelled. The grave rest is calculated when the last free place of a grave field is occupied. In practice, this means that graves remain in place for at least 20 to 24 years or longer.However, a grave raising does not mean that the coffin is taken out. The remains remain in the ground unless there is an exhumation. That is, the mortal remains usually remain in the ground. If a new grave is later established in the same location, remains may be interred in the general grave.
Who decides which urn may be placed in a grave?
When it comes to what type of urns may be interred, it is the cemetery that dictates what features an urn may have.
When it comes to burial in an existing grave, the grave maintainer, or in the case of death, their heirs, can decide who may be buried in the grave.
What does “right of use” mean in relation to a grave site?
This is a contract that comes into being between a person and the cemetery, to be compared with a lease. This gives rise to rights and obligations. For example, the graveside caretaker has the right to determine who is buried. However, it also has the obligation to pay the costs, such as maintenance. This right of use can be transferred from one person to another. In the event of the death of the grave keeper, this often happens automatically.
How long does a grave exist?
Swiss legislation prescribes a grave rest period of 20 years.
The grave term is regulated differently from cemetery to cemetery. As a rule, the term is 20-25 years for row, niche and grove graves and 40 years for family graves.
A row grave is usually not renewable and the grave term refers to the first interment. On the other hand, a family grave and, in some cases, grove graves are often renewable.
Are there regulations of the cemetery for an urn, a coffin?
As a rule, a coffin must be made of light wood, have certain dimensions and be reverent.
The type of grave has an influence on the choice of urn. For example, in the case of burial in a communal grave lawn, it must be a perishable, so-called bio-urn. Each cemetery has its own regulations, where you can read which urns can be buried and which not. Some cemeteries require perishable urns for all graves.
How many urns are allowed in one grave?
It depends on the cemetery and the type of grave. This can be read in the burial regulations of the corresponding cemetery. Usually this is 2-4 urns for an urn row grave, coffin row grave 1 coffin and up to 8 urns, in a niche 1-4 urns, in a family grave 2 coffins and up to 8 urns.
May a deceased person, body, corpse be placed in a grave without a coffin?
No, burial in the case of a burial in the ground and cremation must take place in an environmentally friendly coffin. This supports decomposition and favors biodegradation, respectively serves as a means of transport for the path and calorific value during cremation.
How long will the urn stay in the ground?
The urn will remain in the ground until the grave is removed at the end of the grave’s term. Depending on the cemetery regulations, the grave maintainers will be informed in advance if possible or officially advertised. Depending on the type of grave, an extension of the grave term can be requested. The relatives can also dissolve a grave beforehand. This is called a grave elevation. Some cemeteries clear graves only superficially (headstone and planting), others remove urns from the ground and place them in the common grave.
Who is the owner of a grave?
The cemetery or the cemetery municipality is the owner, the grave space is rented.
What is the duration of the grave?
See HOW LONG IS A GRAVE
How many coffins are allowed in one grave?
A coffin row grave is a single grave in terms of size, which means that there is only one burial in the ground. However, additional urns may be interred during the resting period of the grave. In a family grave can often be buried up to two coffins, sometimes after 20 years each one more, which is placed higher.
Is it okay to include a pet’s ashes in the casket?
In principle, no other cremation ashes, human or animal, may be in the coffin. Reference to regionality