THE VILLAGE of Skýcov near Nitra has recently finished developing a new cemetery that will only have memorial plaques and grass rather than ornate tombstones. The new Milénium 2010 cemetery lies opposite the village’s existing cemetery that is full to capacity. The TASR newswire wrote that preparation of the new cemetery cost more than €100,000, took two-and-a-half years to complete, and has the capacity to provide burials for the next hundred years.
“Our cemetery is a rarity; we have an American-style cemetery, only grass and stones. It is the so-called skeletal system of double graves, always built for two deceased. But there are single graves, too, for those who have no family to share a grave with,” former mayor Štefan Gahér told TASR. The new cemetery was started during his term in office and even though Skýcov residents initially expressed concerns about the idea, the situation required a new cemetery.
“We built it at a site where a cemetery had once been – that is why we also made an ossuary for the remains found. The first two [deceased] residents have already been buried in the new cemetery. Of course, I have a place there, too. If Skýcov sticks to the plan for new graves there will be no troubles for the next 100 years and it will be a pleasure to lie there,” Gahér stated.