Ninety years ago, in 1932, the public cemetery was opened in Nagyerdő, Debrecen, and a series of programs will be held in the city in connection with the anniversary, the organizers announced at a press conference on Thursday.
István Puskás, the deputy mayor of Debrecen, said that the public cemetery in the nature conservation area of Nagyerdei was “an important monument to the history and past of the city”. The cemetery is also a cultural monument, which, among others, is the resting place of Mihály Fazekas, Magda Szabó, and Szilárd Borbély, but also preserves the tombs of dynasties and families who were former leaders of Debrecen and played a significant role in civic self-awareness.
The deputy mayor recalled that before the site of the public cemetery was designated, six smaller, mostly denominational cemeteries surrounded the city, of which the Jewish cemetery is still in operation, but traces of the former Hatvan Street cemetery, the military cemetery are constantly being cared for.
Marianna Kardos, A.K.S.D., operates the public cemetery; the managing director of Kft.
The country’s first crematorium was completed in the funeral home of the listed building, but cremation began only in 1951, 17 years before the handover of the crematorium in Budapest due to a church protest, the director said, adding that the 64-hectare graveyard had 82,200 burial sites. and more than 168,000 rest under the trees of the Great Forest.
The ninety-year-old cemetery can still be used for 10-15 years, after which a new cemetery must be opened in Debrecen, the press conference said. On the occasion of the anniversary, exhibitions, conferences, ecumenical commemorations, and wreaths are held during the year.
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