Cremations make up more than half of Burgenland burials

More than half of burials in Burgenland are now cremations, while urns account for 75 percent of new burial-place assignments at the Eisenstadt city cemetery, ORF reports.

Traditional headstone graves still outnumber urn graves at the cemetery, which has about 1,300 headstones. But Hannes Lackner of Eisenstadt’s municipal business operations said the share of new assignments going to urns or urn graves had reached 75 percent.

More people in Burgenland are also making arrangements for their funerals while still alive. Costs run into several thousand euros, whether someone chooses cremation or burial. Expenses include setting up a burial place and paying for a headstone or urn.

Annual cemetery fees are about 30 euros for a traditional ground grave and around 20 euros for an urn grave, Lackner said. The fees help cover the maintenance of the cemetery.

Many graves have already been decorated ahead of All Saints’ Day.