“A new burial law was necessary. The new regulation takes social developments into account,” says Roland Thome after his experiences in the first year. Thome and his wife run the Lieser Funeral Home in Trier. "In our region, some relatives used to travel to Luxembourg to have the ashes scattered on a meadow near the crematorium. That was one of the few options for a maintenance-free grave."
Thome started as a pallbearer in the family business to finance his business studies. Then he met his wife there. The 60-year-old looks back on decades of professional experience. “In recent years, survivors have asked if they could take the ashes home with them,” says Thome. "River burials in the Moselle were also an issue from time to time. But that wasn't possible with the old law."
The burial law has been in force in Rhineland-Palatinate for a year. The traffic light state government, which has since been voted out of office, had reformed the old law in order to meet the desire for more self-determination.
What alternatives are there to the cemetery?
The law offers new forms of burial: the obligation to have a cemetery has been relaxed. Now relatives can take the urn home with them. They can keep the ashes there or scatter them on private property. It is also permitted to remove a portion of the ashes. This can be used to make souvenir jewelry or even a record. River burials are also permitted for the first time in Germany - in Rhineland-Palatinate in the four rivers: Rhine, Moselle, Lahn and Saar. However, scattering ashes from bridges or banks is prohibited.
In order to prevent misuse, strict rules apply: the deceased must have approved the new burial arrangements in writing during their lifetime. The relatives cannot make subsequent decisions on their own initiative. The deceased must have had their last main residence in Rhineland-Palatinate. And: The funeral will be carried out by a funeral home.
Bureaucracy makes funerals difficult
On his laptop, Thome scrolls to the relevant regulations for river burial and takes a deep breath. "According to the new law, river burials are practically impossible in our region. The Moselle does not have enough water." This requires - literally - a "middle drain". According to Thome, in Trier this is 267 cubic meters of water per second. That corresponds to a water level of 304 centimeters, explains Thome. "We currently only have around 2.20 meters. The last time we had the officially prescribed water height was in April."
This is a problem for the undertaker, because passenger shipping goes into its winter break in the fall. The same applies to boat rental companies. "But the ashes must be put into the river from a moving vehicle. That's what the law says. Alternatives such as pedal boats or paddle boats are not provided."
Thome currently has two urns in his funeral home that will be buried in the Moselle this year. According to the law, an urn can only be stored for a maximum of six months. Thome is now under time pressure because it is questionable whether the average outflow will rise to the officially set amount in the coming weeks. Thome has a few fundamental questions: "After the dry summer, large ships are sailing here on the Moselle again. But an urn containing four kilos of ashes is not allowed to be dumped? Where should the danger be for nature or residents?"
Little demand for new forms of burial
The classic burial in cemeteries remains by far the most popular form of burial in the country. This is the conclusion reached by the undertakers' association in Rhineland-Palatinate, where around 50,000 people die every year. According to a survey, the association estimates that there were up to 60 river burials and around 740 ash burials outside cemeteries. The urn was buried at home 840 times. In around 250 cases, a souvenir was made from the ashes.
"The people in Rhineland-Palatinate welcome the new choices in burial law. At the same time, our evaluation shows very clearly that traditional cemetery burial remains the mainstay of the burial culture in Rhineland-Palatinate," says Patrick Merscher from the undertakers' association.
The Ministry of Health in Mainz, which is responsible for the law, still draws a positive conclusion. This was the result of feedback from citizens, undertakers and municipalities. Health Minister Clemens Hoch is open to changes: "The amended burial law is not a 'keystone', but a beginning. That is why the government coalition has agreed to evaluate the law three years after it comes into force." Clemens also hopes that the new rules “can serve as guidance and a role model beyond national borders.”
“I would like to see more trust in the citizens”
Thome already has a few requests for changes: For the new types of funerals, the presence and inspection by an undertaker is mandatory. “Of course we are happy to provide support in the event of a bereavement. But the legislature could have had a little more trust in the bereaved,” says Thome. So he has to record the final resting place using GPS data. His relatives could also tell him this. "If I have handed over the urn for a river burial, do I always have to be there to check everything?"
There is no real control anyway. "After I leave, relatives could dig up the urn again at a burial in the garden, hang the ashes on balloons with helium and then send them on their final journey. I would therefore like to see more trust in the citizens - even in such difficult life situations."
