The Friedwald is a success story

New form of burial in Niederkrüchten
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The Friedwald is a success story

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The Friedwald in Elmpt is the eleventh in North Rhine-Westphalia, but definitely the westernmost, very close to the border with the Netherlands. In a cemetery, the ashes of the deceased are buried in biodegradable urns in the root area of selected trees. Every tree has a number. If urns are buried there, the names and dates of birth and death of the deceased are noted on a sign.
Photo: Ja / Knappe, Joerg (jkn)

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Niederkrüchten Since the opening on October 15, more than 150 urns have been buried in the Friedwald in the Elmpter Forest. The demand was greater than planned from the start. In the meantime 150 new burial trees have been designated.

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The expectations are more than exceeded; Mayor Kalle Wassong (independent) is more than satisfied with the development of the cemetery in the Elmpter Forest. After the opening on October 15, 2020, strong demand developed relatively quickly. “We already have three times as many funerals as planned,” said Wassong. The first prepared space was booked out much faster than planned. Since the opening, over 140 funerals have taken place in the Friedwald Niederkrüchten. More than 650 people have decided on a tree or place in the cemetery (status 6/2021). Now another 150 trees have been designated as grave sites, reports the operator Friedwald from Griesheim.

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The newly selected burial trees are located around 500 meters from the parking lot and extend over two forest areas that border the existing burial area to the west and east. “The area to the west has mostly young beeches and oaks, including numerous new plantings. A total of around 100 trees are available here for the last rest. Large, old beech trees can mainly be found on the area to the east. But some young trees are also represented. Interested parties can choose their personal burial site from around 50 trees in this area, ”reports Philipp Kämmerling from forest management at Friedwald GmbH.

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So that the future burial trees can also be used for generations, Kämmerling has selected the most beautiful and vital specimens in the forest together with the responsible forest rangers in recent weeks. “We have given each of the 150 new trees a tree number and a colored band. In this way, forest visitors can find and recognize them as the final resting places. While trees with a blue ribbon are available as graves for a couple, a family or a group of friends, individual places can be purchased on trees with a yellow ribbon, ”says Kämmerling, explaining the principle of the cemetery

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So the idea of chamberlain Marie-Luise Schrievers worked out. Inquiries come from the entire region, from Düsseldorf, Neuss, Mönchengladbach, Krefeld, Erkelenz and Straelen – a catchment area with a radius of 50 kilometers. Wssong praises the good work of the Friedwald forest rangers, five of whom lead interested parties through the site on the weekends. But even without active sales, the Friedwald seems to hit a nerve, Wassong continues. More and more people want to find their final peace in nature. There is a demand for a place under a beech or oak in a funeral forest.

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The demand is no coincidence and has to do with a changed burial culture. Society has become more mobile. The children often no longer live in the place where their parents were buried. More and more relatives no longer want to care for graves. The cult of graves, especially in the country, has declined sharply, as both churches and undertakers have noted. The relationship between coffin and urn burials has turned around. The cities are also taking this into account by allocating more space in the cemeteries for urn burials. There is also the trend towards nature. Germans love their forests. Many like to find a resting place there. And for the community, according to Wassong, it is still important that forests remain forests.

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