Crematoria in Czech architecture

Crematoria are facilities that conduct cremations as a method of burial. They also have a ceremonial hall where the bereaved part with the deceased. In Europe, traditional burial in cemeteries began changing in the second half of the 19^th century, when movement advocating cremation and the first associations supporting cremation appeared. The attitude towards death itself changed. The number of people dying in hospitals increased and the last moments of one’s life lost their intimacy. The reform of burial practices was also necessary due to large expansions of cemeteries and their inadequate hygienic requirements.

Specialised places called crematoria were first built in Italy in the 1860s. The Bohemian Society for Cremation was founded in 1899 and the Krematorium association later on as well. The law allowing for cremations came into force in 1919, after the formation of the Czechoslovak Republic. This method of burial quickly spread in the Czech lands. Currently, almost 75% of burials in the country are cremations.

The first crematorium in the Czech lands was built in Liberec. It was finished in 1918, i.e. before the law had been passed that officially allowed for cremations. After that, crematoria were also built in Olšany in Prague (1921), Pardubice (1923), Nymburk and Most (both in 1924) and in other cities. A total of 12 crematoria were built in the Czech lands between 1919 and 1938. Apart from the Pardubice crematorium by Pavel Janák, the Brno crematorium, designed by Ernst Wiesner (1929), is also architecturally interesting, resembling a stylised church with sharp pylons. The architect was inspired by old models of burial buildings, e.g. Egyptian pyramids and tombs and old Christian churches. However, its simple form in the spirit of oncoming functionalism is expressive due to the combination of used materials (brick, stone, marble, plaster and glass). The building became an example of timeless architecture, standing out among ordinary modern buildings.