When laying a person to rest, their personal wishes matter. Ideally, these will be recorded in the funeral plan. Their personal beliefs, religion and world view will determine what type of funeral or grave is best. We will be pleased to help you find the right option for your loved one.
The main types of funeral are:
Interment is a traditional way to lay a person to rest. After a funeral service, the coffin is interred. There are several types of grave to choose from.
After the funeral service, the deceased is taken to a crematorium to be incinerated in their coffin. The ashes are then taken to the final resting place.
Another possibility is to move the coffin to the crematorium at the earliest opportunity so that the urn can be interred at the funeral service.
Cremation urns can be committed to flowing water as part of a dignified ceremony. For legal reasons, however, water burials must be held outside Germany, in neighbouring countries – downstream from Emmerich in the River Rhine, for example, or from Roermond in the River Maas. The urns that are used are water soluble and can be committed to the water either anonymously or in the presence of family and friends.
A water urn containing the cremated remains of the deceased can be dropped into the ocean as an expression of their special connection with the sea. This can be done with family and friends in attendance. The precise burial location is documented on a sea chart and in a certificate (logbook extract). Sea burials can be carried out in any area of the sea.
The ashes of the deceased can be interred at the foot of a tree in a special area of woodland, such as the RuheForst, or a designated section of some cemeteries. This type of burial takes place in a natural setting, the character of which is preserved by the absence of graves.
There are numerous alternatives in addition to those mentioned above. Switzerland’s “Oase der Ewigkeit”, for instance, allows ashes to be scattered or buried on an alpine meadow, in a mountain stream or under a tree. In Spain, ashes can be interred in a sunny orange grove. Ashes can also be scattered from a hot air balloon.
We will be pleased to advise you on any of these options.
Some of the ashes of the deceased can be turned into a unique diamond, which can either be kept in a special place of honour or set into a pendant, ring or other item of jewellery. Ashes can also be set into existing pieces of jewellery, such as wedding rings.