Aachen's cemeteries are resting places and places of mourning, remembrance and silent commemoration. They are also places to switch off, relax and unwind. They are ideal for contemplative walks, are eloquent examples of the cultural and economic history of this city and contribute to improving the urban climate.
The cemetery department of Aachen's municipal services is responsible for 28 active cemeteries and six cemeteries as memorials as well as the crematorium on the Hüls.
Around 3100 cremations are carried out in the Hüls crematorium every year. Around 1900 burials take place at the cemeteries, of which around 900 are urn burials.
The large number of active cemeteries means that Aachen residents can generally be buried close to their home, district or neighborhood. It also enables a wide range of burial types.
Harald Krömer, © Harald Krömer
Cemeteries
Cemeteries are places of burial, mourning, remembrance and peaceful rest. In our fast-moving and contrast-rich times, they offer space and room to mourn loved ones.
As places of living remembrance with individually designed gravesites, they are anchor points against forgetting. In this way, cemeteries also have a (urban) historical significance and reflect the culture
and spiritual attitude of their time. All cemeteries and memorials in Aachen not only offer a dignified setting to commemorate the deceased. With their high proportion of greenery, their numerous old trees and their park-like character, they are important for the climate and the flora and fauna in our city and invite visitors to enjoy local recreation.
Overview of the Aachen cemeteries
Cemetery development concept
In two cemetery development projects - at the cemeteries in the districts and at the inner-city cemeteries - Aachener Stadtbetrieb is addressing the topics of biodiversity and nature-oriented recreation.
With a total area of around 42 hectares, the district's cemeteries account for 46% of the district's green spaces. The cemetery areas make up around 30 percent of the public green spaces in the city center. The cemetery areas therefore make a significant contribution to the preservation and promotion of biodiversity and thus to the climate-stabilizing effect.
City of Aachen/Andreas Herrmann
District cemeteries
The aim of the project "Development of Aachen's district cemeteries to sustainably increase biodiversity and peaceful recreation" is to use the potential of the district's cemeteries to safeguard biodiversity and mitigate the effects of climate change
More
City of Aachen/Harald Krömer
Inner-city cemeteries
The "Sustainable development of cemetery areas in inner-city cemeteries" funding project aims to promote ecology and biodiversity in cemeteries in order to better adapt the areas to climate impacts.
More
General information
Types of graves
Aachen's cemeteries have a number of different types of graves with very different designs and arrangements.
Types of burial
The manner in which you wish to bury your deceased relative depends on the wishes of the deceased. As a rule, they will have expressed this wish in writing or verbally during their lifetime.
The deceased person may have concluded a funeral care contract with the funeral home. The funeral was specified in detail in this contract (e.g. type of funeral, funeral service, burial site). If there is no statement of wishes, the relatives determine the type of funeral. The will of the spouse takes precedence over the will of the other relatives. This is followed by the children, parents, grandchildren and other relatives and fiancés in accordance with the legal order of succession. If relatives cannot be identified, the funeral is arranged by the municipality.
Burial in the ground
The deceased person is buried in a coffin in an earth row grave or an elective grave in the cemetery. The elective grave can be purchased as a single, double or triple grave. If a grave already exists, it will be checked whether a burial can still be made in it. In the case of burial in the ground, there is usually a blessing in the funeral hall and speeches at the open grave.Cremation
The deceased is cremated with the coffin after the funeral service. The urn is generally buried in the cemetery 10 to 14 days after the funeral service. It is also possible to cremate the coffin before the funeral service. An urn service is then held. During this urn service, the urn is laid out in the funeral hall instead of the coffin. Following the urn service, the urn is buried. In Germany, it is mandatory for an urn to be buried in a cemetery or other designated area. Alternatives to urn burial include burial at sea, burial in the forest and scattering of ashes.Funeral halls
Funeral halls are available at almost all cemeteries for a dignified farewell. The funeral halls can be decorated with plants and candlesticks. Additional decorations can be arranged in consultation with the cemetery administration or your funeral director. In all municipal funeral halls, individual pieces of music can be played from recordings in addition to the musical accompaniment. As a rule, the funeral home will arrange an appointment with the relevant parish office to prepare the funeral service and the church funeral. Of course, the relatives can also contact the relevant parish office directly. If a church funeral is not desired, the appointed funeral home will be happy to arrange a funeral speaker on request.
© City of Aachen/Timo Pappert
City of Aachen/Andreas Herrmann
Crematorium
Today, people's biographies are as different as their wishes for their last step out of life. What they have in common is the need for appropriate dignity, space and time for mourning. The city of Aachen has always tried to do justice to the concerns of relatives and offers a variety of burial options. This has included cremation in the crematorium at the largest municipal cemetery in Hüls since 1979.