
Who has patience, can walk through the rows and pay the green rectangles. After just a few meters, it’s clear that there are an astonishing number of them. Uwe plomitzer from the cemetery administration knows the exact number: 161 graves are currently vacant in the old cemetery in kitzingen. Like many other cities, kitzingen needs to think about how to deal with this "vacancy" to be dealt with.
There are 1411 graves in the old cemetery, which was laid out in 1542 and extended several times until 1889. Impressive tombs and even graves commemorate people who played a significant role in the development of the town. Well-known business families, brewery owners, composers and mayors are buried there.
"It’s kitzingen’s town history that you read here", says franz bohm. He has been chairman of the old cemetery interest group since may. It was founded after the war with the aim of restoring the severely damaged cemetery until the town could operate it itself again. More than 60 years later, this goal has long since been achieved. Nevertheless, the cemetery is still close to the heart of the community of interest – and so the many empty graves are also an issue for the 240-member paying association.
A little more than 20 years ago, there was not a single free grave in the old cemetery, uwe plomitzer remembers vividly. The deceased were therefore buried in the new cemetery. Bohm considers the cemetery opposite the falterturm to be ideal, especially for the burghers from the settlement, since it is not as far away as the new cemetery at the other end of the city.