Burial organizations in Sweden are looking to acquire enough land for something they hope they will never have to do: bury thousands of people in the event of war.
This finding follows recommendations from the National Secretariat of the Church of Sweden, which reflect crisis preparedness guidelines from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency and the Swedish Armed Forces.
Preparedness guidelines have been put in a new light due to Sweden’s decision to join NATO and tensions with Russia in the Baltic Sea region.
According to Church of Sweden provisions, supported by legal paragraphs in the Burial Act of Sweden, burial associations are responsible for ensuring the availability of sufficient land to bury approximately 5% of the population within a parish if necessary.
The Gothenburg Burial Association, which operates in Sweden’s second-largest city, is currently trying to tackle the challenge of acquiring at least 40,470 square meters (about 10 acres) of land to ensure that it can be buried approximately Could handle immediate coffin burials for 30,000 dead. Was. This is in addition to the 60,700 square meters (about 15 acres) of land required to create a cemetery for regular use in Gothenburg.
”The [recommendations] This means that we need more land for cemeteries and this is a phenomenon in large cities, and a problem in large cities, where land resources are scarce to begin with and difficult to meet cemetery needs even in quiet times. are not always sufficient. And peace,” said Katharina Evenseth, senior advisor at the Gothenburg Burial Association.
Together with the local municipality, which has a monopoly in decision-making about land use in Gothenburg, the Burial Association has identified a vast area suitable for the construction of a large-scale cemetery for the intended purpose.
But the lengthy approval and construction process means it could take about 10 years to complete, creating further challenges in uncertain times.
Meanwhile, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, or MSB, continues to stress the importance of crisis preparedness and highlights the efforts of the Church of Sweden.
“It was only in 2015 that the government once again appointed various authorities to engage in civil protection planning, and a number of organizations have started planning,” said Jan-Olof Olsson of Critical Infrastructure Protection, Church of Sweden. Is at the forefront of that plan.” Specialist in MSB.
Olson said, “Unfortunately, this is the case that reminds us starkly that war can happen and we just need to be prepared for it.”
Sweden pursued a policy of neutrality since the early 19th century, including during World War II.
But public opinion changed rapidly after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, leading Sweden and Finland to join the transatlantic alliance out of concern about the threat from their new aggressive Russian neighbor across the Baltic Sea. Applied to be.
Sweden and Finland sent updated civilian preparedness guides in November with instructions on surviving the war. These guides are similar to those in Denmark and Norway, although Russia is not named in them.