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New columbarium in Cologne: your final resting place opens!
From June 24, 2025, Cologne will open a new columbarium with 160 urn chambers to expand the funeral offerings.
New columbarium in Cologne: your final resting place opens!
From Tuesday, June 24, 2025, the people of Cologne can look forward to a new offering in funeral culture: a columbarium will be opened at the city's cemeteries, thus taking the wishes of the population into account. This columbarium is the second in Cologne, after the counterpart at the Melaten cemetery, which was founded in June 2024 and is already very popular, as lindweiler.de reports.
With 160 urn chambers, each of which can accommodate up to two urns, those responsible want to meet the increased demands on burial methods. This is not only a practical but also an emotional offer for the Cologne population who are looking for contemporary funeral options.
New concept for final rest
The design of the new columbarium corresponds to that in Melaten, which ensures uniform standards. What is particularly attractive is that it is possible to purchase an urn grave during your lifetime. This means relatives can make arrangements early on. The price for the right of use is 4,141.51 euros for 20 years, with the possibility of repurchase. With a natural stone grave slab you can record individual memories in the burial chamber in the form of names, dates of birth and death.
Another advantage is access to the burial chambers during the general opening hours of the cemetery, which gives relatives the opportunity to mourn and cherish memories in peace.
Renovation of the mourning hall at the Melaten cemetery
The renovation project will be implemented in two sub-projects: First, the funeral hall, including adjoining rooms and toilets, will be comprehensively renovated. At the same time, the adjacent administration building is being renovated for historical preservation purposes.
A comprehensive inventory of the necessary renovations has already been largely completed. This includes material testing and pollutant analyzes to ensure the safety and quality of the funeral hall.
Funeral culture in transition
Current developments in burial culture reflect the trend that modern forms of burial such as cremations are becoming increasingly important. In addition to the emotional relief, this is often also due to the price issue. Anonymous burials are chosen out of the desire to spare relatives the burden of tending to the grave. Cremation has long been the common form in several cultures, including Hindus, which has also influenced the history of burials in Germany. Planet-Wissen describes in this context that cremations have gained popularity since the 19th century for hygienic and cost-saving reasons.
The new facilities, such as the columbarium in Cologne, send a signal that these concerns are being taken seriously and that the needs of citizens are being addressed. Whether age-appropriate or for mourners, the adjustments in funeral culture show that even in difficult times, the options for commemoration can be designed in a variety of ways and personally.