Panevėžys district opens first columbaria, will expand if demand grows

Panevėžys district has opened its first columbaria, with urn walls built at cemeteries in Ramygala and Krekenava as a trial. The municipality will consider expanding them only if demand grows, LRT reported.

Each wall has 36 niches. Panevėžys district Mayor Antanas Pocius said they had been designed so they could be extended if they prove popular.

Krekenava ward head Vaidas Kaušakys said residents were already asking about the new option. Some people whose relatives are buried in columbaria in city cemeteries would like to bring their ashes back to their hometown, he said.

Ramygala representative Aistė Jagminienė said burial traditions remained strong in rural areas, where people were more used to choosing coffins than urns. But she welcomed giving residents an alternative.

Residents had mixed views. Some said columbaria could be convenient for families whose children live abroad and cannot maintain graves. Others said people in rural areas were used to traditional burials and opposed cremation. One resident said people would get used to the change, noting that columbaria were already commonplace abroad.

Pocius said rural burial customs were changing, even if traditions remained deeply rooted. He pointed to the declining practice of holding wakes at home as an example.

Residents are expected to be able to use spaces in the district’s columbaria free of charge, but the municipal council must still approve the plan.