Kladno is building a new columbarium, which will have over 2300 niches added

Kladno - Kladno is building a new columbarium at the central cemetery, which will have over 2300 niches. The current capacity is insufficient; people in the city have waited up to two years for a place to store urns. It is expected to be completed next spring, with costs amounting to nearly 27 million crowns. The city will allocate the niches in the new columbarium after its completion. Preliminary reservations are not being made, said Kladno City Hall spokesman Vít Heral in response to an inquiry from ČTK today.

As part of the cemetery renovations according to the design by architect Jan Žalský, there will also be a memorial promenade with arcades, benches, and greenery. The work includes dismantling paved areas, repairing the cemetery wall, and relocating the water supply and electrical wiring. Trees and additional greenery will be added. Currently, in a city with around 70,000 inhabitants, there are 13,726 burial sites, of which 2,576 are urn niches, urn monuments, and epitaph plates. "There will be 2300 new niches in the columbarium; there will be enough niches for interested parties, and they need not worry that they won't get a niche," said Heral.

The last time the city added urn niches was in 2011, when 89 were added, and the columbarium at the Rozdělov cemetery expanded by 72 places in 2004. The newly emerging columbarium can be further expanded in the future if necessary. The city manages eight cemeteries, which costs it over 16 million crowns annually, not including investments. The uniform rent for one square meter of burial space is 15 crowns per year at the main cemetery and 13 crowns per year at other cemeteries. Service prices range from 120 to 300 crowns per year at the main cemetery and 100 to 250 crowns per year at other cemeteries. The price for an urn niche is set at 400 crowns for one year at the main cemetery, while it is a hundred crowns less at other cemeteries. The price in the new columbarium has not yet been determined.