An initiative reminding people that they should pay for the graves of their loved ones began two years ago. Employees of the “Alfa” Funeral Services Facility (subordinate to the Municipal Communal Services Facility) sent notifications by post. Many letters did not reach their addressees. This year, MZGK came up with the idea of placing stickers on gravestones: “Grave intended for removal due to the expiry of the validity of the paid entitlements”.

“People come to the cemetery, collect water and throw away rubbish. We pay for that,” Maria Stasiak, head of the “Alfa” Funeral Services Facility, told IstotneInformacje.pl Maria Stasiak. A cemetery plot reservation is renewed once every 20 years. There are graves that no one has paid for since 1993.

At present, renewing a reservation costs PLN 513 (an adult’s grave) or PLN 235 (a child’s grave). According to Maria Stasiak, the initiative is producing the desired effect. However, it is not known what will happen to a grave if someone fails to pay the fee. The cemetery administration has not yet made a decision on the matter. “At present, we are only removing old, neglected graves—those where there is neither a plaque nor a cross,” stresses the head of “Alfa”.

Does the very method of encouraging people to pay for a cemetery plot not raise controversy? “Those who pay reliably are pleased that this initiative has begun,” Maria Stasiak points out. Mr. Władysław from Bolesławiec has a different opinion. “The cemetery has existed for over 50 years, and what has been done? You walk over rough ground. PLN 513—for what?” he asks indignantly. “If someone receives a PLN 600 pension, what are they supposed to pay it with?” he adds.

Irena Wawrzynowska also has reservations about MZGK’s idea: Irena Wawrzynowska. “There are people buried in these graves. Sometimes the deceased have no one who could pay,” the woman says. “Another person could be buried in such a grave, and a small plaque bearing the name of the person previously buried there could be placed beside the monument. That would be fair both to people and to God,” she suggests. In contrast, according to Mr. Tadeusz from Bolesławiec, the stickers are a great idea: “Otherwise, the cemetery would become a mess.”

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(GA report)