Bruges (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Bruges opened a 3.4-hectare natural burial ground in September 2024, costing €500,000. The burial ground has seen limited use. Only 14 burials occurred. Alderman Frank Demon and funeral company Doodgewoon’s Greet Chielens support the eco-friendly initiative.
As VRT News reported, Bruges opened a natural burial ground near the De Blauwe Toren crematorium in September last year. The site covers 3.4 hectares and blends into the surrounding landscape. People buried there do not have headstones or memorial stones. The city spent more than €500,000 to develop the area.
What is behind the Bruges’ natural burial ground with only 14 burials?
Officials mentioned that despite the investment, the burial ground has seen limited use. During the same period, traditional burials and urns were chosen 1,190 times. Bruges is only the second city in Flanders to offer a natural burial ground. Drongen also has a site where people can be buried in a shroud. They mentioned that the low number of burials shows that most residents still prefer traditional cemeteries.
“Indeed, only a limited number of people are currently choosing natural burial. But the demand is clearly there. And as a city with a central function, we want to be able to offer that option,”
says Alderman for Public Domain Frank Demon (CD&V).
“It’s a very personal choice. It’s important for the city that everyone is given a dignified place in their own way.”
Greet Chielens from the funeral company Doodgewoon said she is very grateful that natural burials exist in Bruges. Her company has handled about half of all natural burials in the city.
“I think 14 burials in a year is quite a lot,”
she said. She added that many people are shocked when they learn that this option is available in Bruges. Chielens explained that natural burials are still a new phenomenon.
“Fortunately, those who support it are still alive, so they have not needed it yet.”
Chielens expects the number of natural burials to grow in the coming years. She noted that fewer people are choosing traditional burials, which may increase demand for green alternatives.
“I have only received positive feedback from people who have experienced it,”
she said. She said the main appeal is ecological. People also like the idea of blending in with nature without a headstone.
“The first people who chose it even asked me if they could dig the grave themselves. That’s not possible in many traditional cemeteries. For those people, it’s very valuable to lower their bodies themselves, to fill the grave themselves. That way, they have control over the ritual,”
Chielens said.
Similar projects exist in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Germany. These cemeteries allow burials without headstones and use biodegradable materials. Many of them were created in the early 2000s to provide sustainable and natural resting places.
