You came from earth. To earth you shall remain. But it can take a long time. Basically, a buried body must be turned into soil in 20 years, as is actually the requirement for burial grounds in Norwegian law. Due to poor soil in several burial grounds, it can take ten times as long. – It is a problem in general in Norway, says Inghild Halvorsen Økland at NIBIO. This is shown by a recent examination of 73 graves in Bergen, Bærum, Oslo, Sandnes, Stavanger and Trondheim. – Can risk finding whole bodies Halvorsen Økland says that they can find relatively intact bodies when they open graves to reuse them. – When you dig up the graves after 20, 40 or 60 years, you can risk finding whole bodies. And which will not be broken down for another 50 years, says Halvorsen Økland. When someone is buried in clay or very compacted soil, instead of airy sandy soil, no oxygen is released into the grave. The fatty tissue in the body is then transformed into so-called corpse wax, which does not rot. It may take 100 to 200 years or more before the remains are gone, according to the researcher. In some cases, the deceased is fully recognizable several decades after the burial, when both skin, hair, textiles and facial features remain. Sometimes corpses are so well preserved that you can feel features on their faces. Removal of graves A person responsible for a grave monument is called a fixer. After the preservation period, which is 20 years for an urn grave and 25 years for a coffin grave, a grave can be used again if parties no longer wish to keep the grave. If there is no more left in the grave than coarse bones, the grave can be used again. Then the bones are buried further into the ground, and a new coffin can be buried above. If there is more in the grave than coarse bones, the grave is closed again. When the party ceases, the party must, if possible, be given the opportunity to remove grave memorials and similar equipment from the grave site. Anything that has not been removed from the burial site within six months of the end of the feast belongs to the burial site. Grave memorials of artistic or cultural historical value must, if possible, be left on the grave site. SOURCE: The Funeral Act and the Funeral Authority. Half of the cemeteries in Bergen are for poor doctor Inghild Hareide Hansen, head of cemeteries in Bergen’s parish council. – When I went all the way down into the grave to see what it looked like, it was a defining experience for all of us, says Hareide Hansen. Laksevåg cemetery in Bergen is one of several cemeteries where the soil does not function as it should. Inghild Hareide Hansen is head of the cemetery in Bergen’s parish council. Photo: Linnea Skare Oskarsen / news The cemetery director believes that one must avoid the same mistakes again. – In the worst case, you can get grave sites that you can only use once and perhaps you are forced to use more area than you initially need. She hopes they will get more money to replace the soil in the cemeteries. – It is such an important matter that the dead are treated as properly as possible, and that money is allowed both in Bergen and elsewhere in the country so that the cemeteries get the standard they should have, says Hareide Hansen.
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Many bodies in Norwegian cemeteries do not rot – news Vestland
