Linz urn cemetery traces cremation’s shift from taboo to normality

Cremation, once controversial in Upper Austria, has become commonplace. A permanent exhibition at the Urnenhain, a cemetery in Linz-Urfahr, traces the change, ORF reports.

For many years, only a small number of people chose cremation. Michael Voglhofer, deputy head of LINZ AG Cemeteries, said there had long been demand for it because it was significantly cheaper than burial. The Catholic Church permitted cremation from 1963.

The cremation hall in Linz-Urfahr opened in 1929. Its architect, Julius Schulte, was considered cosmopolitan and liberal. Voglhofer said Schulte supported cremation and campaigned for the urn cemetery. Schulte designed both the building and the cemetery, including its paths.

The cemetery now has around 9,000 graves. Its different forms of burial include steles, niches and pagoda graves. Voglhofer said people can design their grave within certain limits.