Vineyard cemetery in Maria Enzersdorf harvests its first grapes

A nature cemetery among vineyards and roses in Maria Enzersdorf has produced its first grape harvest, yielding 3,000 bottles of juice this year, ORF reports.

The Rauchkogel cemetery lies in a popular recreational area where people go for walks. Its owner, the Schottenstift, has been managed by funeral provider Bestattung Himmelblau since summer 2026. Relatives can visit at any time.

Bestattung Himmelblau owner Klemens Figlhuber said more people were seeking a final resting place in nature, which many see as a place of calm and permanence. Visitors Elisabeth Lehninger, from Brunn am Gebirge, said she liked that the deceased were “not shut away, but right in the middle of life”. Peter Stuhlpfarrer, from Vienna, described the cemetery as lively and peaceful, and welcomed its open access despite his own more traditional outlook.

Funeral services take place at a prayer area that can hold just under 30 people and can be either secular or religious. Urns are buried among the roots of rose bushes or grapevines. They are compostable and break down, while the ashes remain in the soil.

The grape juice is not sold. The operator plans to serve it at events and give it to relatives on request. Figlhuber said most people welcomed the idea, though some felt uneasy about it. He said the ashes were pure mineral material and that nothing from the deceased entered the juice.

Small plaques bearing names and dates of birth and death are the only markers among the vines; anonymous burials are also possible. Figlhuber said nature burials cost less than conventional cemetery burials and do not require headstones or elaborate grave decorations. Contractors still handle vine pruning, groundskeeping and plant protection, but the natural landscape shapes the cemetery. No special preparations are needed for All Saints’ Day, and visitors can come to remember the deceased.