 |
| Angelika/Mike Schilli |
|
Hold on, that's not entirely correct. Three cemeteries remained in the city due to their historical significance. This includes the "San Francisco National Cemetery," reserved for war veterans, located on the grounds of the Presidio, the former military base near the Golden Gate Bridge. Today, burials in this location are only conducted in exceptional cases. The second is the cemetery belonging to the old Mission Dolores, where many Native Americans, who helped build the mission, found their final resting place. And then there is the "San Francisco Columbarium," a unique neoclassical building from 1897 that houses urns and was formerly part of a cemetery called "Odd Fellows."
Today, only the Columbarium building remains at the end of a small cul-de-sac in the Richmond district. You can still reserve a spot for your ashes there. Although the Columbarium survived the severe earthquake of 1906 and the forced relocation of cemeteries, it gradually fell into disrepair from 1934 to 1979 until the Neptune Society (a cremation company) took it over and lovingly restored it. Each urn is placed in a cabinet about 15x15 inches in size, with either a glass door or a copper door. The cabinets look like shelves set into the walls of passageways. Many of the niches now contain not only the urn with the ashes but also small mementos reflecting the deceased's preferences. So, if you are one of those people fascinated by cemeteries and you find yourself in San Francisco again, be sure to visit the Columbarium.
If you don't want to be cremated after your death and haven't reserved a niche in the Columbarium, as a resident of San Francisco, your only option is one of the 17 cemeteries in Colma. Colma is surrounded by the San Bruno Mountain Range and the Freeway 280. Besides the cemeteries, Colma has a few typical American shopping centers and car dealerships. Colma has about 1,300 residents and is home to almost 2 million graves. For comparison: San Francisco today has about 750,000 residents.
The diverse cemeteries reflect the cultural diversity of San Francisco and its surroundings. Among the 17 cemeteries, there is an Italian, a Greek Orthodox, a Jewish, a Catholic, and a Chinese one, among others. When Michael and I visited the various locations on a beautiful Saturday, we were surprised by the park-like grounds. Signs indicated that sunbathing in the cemetery was not allowed, and the Jewish cemetery was completely closed due to the Sabbath.
Inside the cemeteries, we almost felt like we were in another world. Only the highways, as well as the Toys-R-Us and the Target supermarket in the background, taught us otherwise. We were also quite amazed by the pompous mausoleums. By the way, normal graves in America do not have a grave outline or planting. Only the headstone and a few flowers adorn the grave, which is otherwise surrounded by the cemetery lawn. Often, the stone is a small square plaque set into the ground, and the flowers are made of plastic. This, of course, makes maintenance easier and fits the pragmatic nature of Americans. And, typically for America, you can drive your car through the cemetery right up to the grave. English.
The latest trend, however, are so-called green burials, which are supposedly more environmentally friendly. The deceased are not embalmed and are buried either in a simple, biodegradable wooden box or just in a shroud, under the surface of a the green hill. The impact on the landscape is meant to be minimal, meaning there are no large headstones marking the grave or any traditional cemetery layout. Relatives who wish to visit the grave later can locate it using a GPS system provided by the cemetery company for this purpose.
Now, you might think this is an American invention, but supposedly the British are pioneers when it comes to green burials. Such burials naturally resonate with the esoterically inclined and environmentally friendly old hippies in California. So it doesn't surprise me that there is already such a cemetery in Marin County, which is located north of San Francisco. The Fernwood Cemetery, recently also called "Forever Fernwood" is not the first American cemetery to offer green burials. As early as 1998, Billy Campbell, a doctor, came up with the same idea in the city of Westminster in the state of South Carolina. However, the operators of Fernwood are not only striving for an alternative cemetery but also for a kind of nature reserve that can later be used by the general public for hiking and other activities. Therefore, only native plants are allowed to adorn the graves, which are invisible anyway. But now, back to life.
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}