A vision for the future of Bratislava's cemeteries as places of remembrance and quality public spaces with recreational and biodiversity functions. The project brief emerged through dialogue and in collaboration with the Bratislava City Chief Architect's Office, Marianum – City of Bratislava Funeral Services, the Bratislava Metropolitan Institute, and the project team, as a response to a long-deferred urban problem – the approaching shortage of burial plots for in-ground interment. The analytical part of the project examined the current capacity of Bratislava's cemeteries and projected demand for burial plots up to 2050. The results show that Bratislava, even with the planned expansions of existing cemeteries, will need a new large cemetery with a minimum capacity of 15,000 burial plots within the next 10–15 years.
The Jarovce location lies in the floodplain of the Danube river, in an area of oxbow lakes, where the groundwater level reaches approximately one metre below the ground surface in some places. For the establishment of a cemetery designated for in-ground interment, it is necessary to create raised earthwork platforms at this location, with the imported soil separated from the original terrain by an impermeable layer. Given the challenging hydrogeological conditions, it is essential to consider the cemetery not only as a place of remembrance, but as a quality public space with recreational and biodiversity functions. The conceptual study demonstrates the potential for creating a biodiverse commemorative landscape with viewpoints, water features and ponds, which simultaneously serves as a natural recreational area and a migration and habitat zone for wildlife, particularly along the corridor between the pheasantry and Jarovce Island. In accordance with the existing master plan, the proposal envisions the integration of the floodplain forest natural area – into which the burial platforms are sensitively embedded – with the adjacent planned park and nature-recreational zone on the eastern boundary of the site towards the Danube river. The result is a natural landscape cemetery that respects the natural and urban conditions of the site, and creates a dignified and tranquil environment not only for final rest, but also for quiet recreation, walks and observation of the landscape, wildlife and birds.
