Most to get a natural burial ground: ashes to be laid at the roots of trees

The Czech town of Most will get a natural burial ground, where cremated ashes will be placed at the roots of trees. The idea was put forward by local resident Eva Karabasilová, who submitted the project to the city hall's participatory budget.

Until now, residents of Most had no alternative to a classic burial in a grave or columbarium, or having their ashes scattered in a designated meadow. The natural burial ground project came in third place by number of votes among the 11 initiatives the city administration put to a public vote.

Part of living nature

"I think that planting trees and offering this kind of burial would give many people the feeling that they're placing their loved one within a living part of nature, and that their remains become part of biodiversity," the idea's author explained. She also pointed out a practical advantage of this method: relatives won't have to worry about maintaining a grave.

Experience from other cities

Natural burial grounds already exist in several places across Czechia and Slovakia — including Prague's Ďáblice district, Brno, and the Slovak cities of Košice and Zvolen.

Read also: Brno: what to see and where to go

Around Prague, based on reporting by ekolist.cz