Cemeteries in Sweden: Difference between revisions

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==== Websites to Search ====


*[http://grav.genealogi.se/Gravsoklist.php?cmd=reset Välkommen till Gravstensinventeringen] a place to look for graves older than 1900.
==Online Resources==
*{{RecordSearch|2026973|BillionGraves Index}} - index and images
*[https://billiongraves.com/site-map?country=Sweden BillionGraves Sweden page] - photos and GPS locations of grave markers
*{{RecordSearch|2221801|Find A Grave Index}} - index and images 
*[https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/search?cemetery-name=&cemetery-loc=Sweden&only-with-cemeteries=cemOnly&locationId=country_66 Find A Grave Sweden Page] - photos and GPS locations of grave markers
*[http://swedishgenealogyguide.com/archives/tag/cemeteries Swedishgenealogyguide] The goal of The Swedish Genealogy Guide is to empower people who are looking for their Swedish ancestors.
*[http://grav.genealogi.se/Gravsoklist.php?cmd=reset Grav.Genealogi] The tombstone inventory is a national tombstone database.
*[http://hittagraven.stockholm.se/en/ Hittagraven Stockholm] search among the buried.
*[http://hittagraven.stockholm.se/en/ Hittagraven Stockholm] search among the buried.
*[https://etjanster.stockholm.se/Hittagraven/home Hittagraven] Here you can get help finding a specific grave through the search function which contains about 185,000 graves and about 600,000 graves at Stockholm's 11 public burial sites.


===Background===
== Jewish Cemeteries ==
*[https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Cemetery/tree/CemList.htm JewishGen] has an inventory you can check. Click on Sweden.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96stra_kyrkog%C3%A5rden,_Gothenburg Gothenburg]
*[https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/sweden/heritage-heritage-sites/ Jewish Heritage]
*[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Jewish_cemeteries_in_Sweden Jewish Cemeteries in Sweden]
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/timelessriver/37911862144/in/photostream/ Flickr] The land for the cemetery, named Aronsberg after Aaron Isaac, had been acquired in 1776.


While doing family history research it's common to search for the grave of an ancestor, hoping to get a birth or death date from a gravestone (especially in U.S. Research). But before you plan a trip to Sweden to visit cemeteries, you should consider some of the social and cultural differences. Here are a few things to consider:  
== Military Cemeteries ==
*[https://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2016272/malmo-jewish-cemetery/ CWGC] Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Malmo Jewish Cemetery and many other cemeteries.
*[https://skogskyrkogarden.stockholm.se/ Skogskyrkogarden] Skogskyrkogården is a cemetery located in the Gamla Enskede district south of central Stockholm, Sweden.
*[https://www.ww1cemeteries.com/swe-kviberg-cemetery.html Kviberg Cemetery] Although Sweden remained neutral throughout both world wars, a number of Commonwealth servicemen lie buried in her cemeteries and churchyards.
*[https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60530/ Ancestry($)] Sweden, Find A Grave Index, 1800s-Current
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kungliga_begravningsplatsen Wikipedia] Kungliga begravningsplatsen


==== Types of burial places  ====


Historically burial places around the world have had different forms for example, burial places in the forest. Ancient burial places outside of a city are called necropolis. Jewish and Muslim congregations in Christian countries may have their own burial places often near the larger christian burial areas. Some burial places were created at the time of a epidemic, usually mass graves. These mass graves might only have been used as a burial place for the duration of the epidemic. Due to war, sometimes there are cemeteries specifically for military use.


A churchyard is the area around a church that is often used as a burial place. Churchyards are the most common place for burials in Sweden. Even Swedish cemeteries that do not have a church are called churchyards. &nbsp;Modern cemeteries in Sweden are often further out of a town and are equipped with a cemetery chapel.<br>
== Individual Cemeteries ==
*[https://begravning.stockholm/hitta-begravningsplatser-och-kyrkogardar/ Begravning] Stockholm City's websites
*[https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/uppsalakyrkogardar/kyrkogardar-och-minneslundar Svenskakyrkan]


==== Ancient Burials in Sweden ====
The following is a list from Wikipedia of cemeteries in Sweden.


Very few graveyards have been found in Sweden that date back to stone age cultures. By the Bronze Age, cremations and other forms of burial were praticed. By the early Iron Age grave fields became common. Late Iron Age burial grounds are often linked to villages that are traced into Medieval times. By the 900's the practice of cremation on a burial pyre was done. Afterwards the burnt bones and personal items in an earthern vessel were buried where older burials had already taken place (often among stone circles, rock formations, or burial mounds.) Early Christian burials in Sweden show the skeletal remains often laid with their feet towards the east and the head towards the west to prepare for the great resurrection.
==== Christian Burials  ====
Decades after Christianity arrived in the 1000's, people founded common graves around the church buildings and the old farm cemeteries were abandoned. Over time the churchyards were organized by community or family. Graves were marked with planks or crosses made of wood. Up until the early 1800's the practice of having a family burial place in the churchyard, often as a low mound covered in deep grass with a modest wooden cross was common. Very few graves, usually in the cathedral churchyards or in cities, had a flat or standing marker of stone (often sandstone or limestone), or of iron.
==== Churchyards in Older times  ====
In older times, a stone wall was built around churchyards to protect the grounds from larger wildlife. The wall would have one or more openings, often with a small wooden staircase, with wooden walls built up on the sides and a roof over the top. The churchyard of Täby has a good example of these portal structures. The southern and eastern parts of the churchyard were the most used for burials. In many places the northern part of the church yard was believed to be a unsuitable place for burials.
Unlike modern times, the graves were not placed in organized rows. At times the churchyards were used for grazing. They were used for public gatherings, public announcements, court sessions, markets, or even outdoor plays.
Martin Luther spoke out in disapproval of the misuse of churchyards which was supported by the Swedish Lutheran church leadership. There are witnessed accounts of graves that were opened for use during the 1600 and 1700's where bones from previously buried people were left on the surface rather than reburied in the new grave. For this reason the benhus (literally meaning the bone house) was built, where one could deposit them. Åker church and Strängnäs cathedral have examples of surviving benhus.
==== Status  ====
The burial place of the nobility or clergy was often in the church, under the floor with flat stone markers, in built up monuments, tombs, or even family chapels. In 1633 a burial chapel was built for King Gusaf II Adolf in Riddarholms church in Stockholm which became the pattern for the nobility. For the rest of the 1600’s and 1700’s many parish churches had a burial chapel built. Another tradition was the creation of burial shields (for the nobility) that were carried during the funeral services and eventually mounted on the wall in the parish church. The burial shield might include an epitaph with the design of the deceased persons nobility shield, or even a sculpture carved out of wood which was painted. This practice was even done in rural parish buildings where the noble family had prominence. By 1779 the ecclesiastical government body (prästståndet) began to question the value of burials in the church buildings. In 1815 the practice of burial in the church buildings was forbidden. The nobility or the clergy were given a prominent place in the churchyard instead, often with a little iron fence or a stone edging around the grave.
==== The Sanctity of Burial Places  ====
Toward the end of the 1700’s the churchyards became enclosed. In 1776 an official communication was sent out to the parishes stating that the walls around the churchyards should be of stone replacing other constructions that were not as stabile. During the 1700’s there were efforts to plant trees in the churchyards. The hope was that the trees would help improve the smell of the churchyards, especially in overpopulated larger cities. As the population increased during the 1800’s (largely due to peacetime, vaccinations, and potato’s) society had a greater need for additional cemeteries’. This became an acute problem in the cities because of concerns with sanitation. A government ordinance was passed in 1810 to create new cemeteries’ outside of the cities. The first cemetery created to meet this need is part of the [http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norra_begravningsplatsen Norra begravningsplatsen] in Stockholm city that was dedicated in 1827 by Bishop Johan Olof Wallin. As a consequence to epidemics additional cemeteries were created in the 1800’s such as the Kolerakyrkogårdar (Cholera cemeteries’) around the country. These newer cemeteries had a more modern plan, with consistent lot structure, and individual burial places. Even the inscriptions on grave markers from this time period have a greater consistency with birth and death dates, or even scriptural quotations. These markers vary according to social class ranging from the anonymous to the grandiose. Many family graves are from this time period, where the associated lots continue to be reused by family members only.
==== The Re-use of Burial Plots  ====
Within the Swedish culture there has been a long standing practice to re-use burial plots. By law there is a person or family that is responsible for the care and upkeep of a grave. This right is preserved by contract for normally 25 years. This responsibility includes a fee to the parish or cemetery for the grounds keeping etc. When the duration of the contract has expired, the cemetery authority will contact the responsible party to see if they are interested in renewal. If the responsible party decides to release their right, then the cemetery will remove the grave marker and reuse the burial plot. As the practice of reusing burial plots has been happening for over 100 years, finding a very old ancestral grave with the grave marker is unlikely. On the other hand you can search the cemetery sexton records (or even in databases such as [[Begravda i Sverige|Begravda i Sverige]]) to locate a burial place. Although gravestones have been removed, and burial plots have been re-used, people still feel a reverence as they pay respect in visiting a churchyard or cemetery.
==== Graves for People of Other Denominations  ====
People of different religious beliefs (other than the Swedish Lutheran Church) have also had their own cemeteries in Sweden. The first Jewish cemetery was created on the island of Kungsholm in Stockholm in 1776. The first Catholic cemetery since the reformation was created within the Norra begravningsplaten in Stockholm in 1847. Immigration to Sweden after the Second World War led to the creation of cemeteries for Muslims and Orthodox Christians.
==== Cremation in Sweden  ====
Historically Stockholm has had the highest rate of cremation. The first crematorium in Sweden was built in the Norra begravningsplatsen in Stockholm in 1909. As the preference for cremation has increased, the cemeteries have created places for the placement of urns in the ground, columbarium’s, and memory groves. The urnlunder are places where the urn has been buried and a grave marker has been placed. Columbarium’s are places where the urns have been placed in a structure built onto the church or even a separate building for that purpose. The memory groves are places where the urn has been buried without a grave marker, or in some cases spread in a designated area.
==== Well known Cemeteries’ in Sweden  ====
{| class="FCK__ShowTableBorders" style="width: 99%; height: 100px;"
|-
|
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gal%C3%A4rvarvskyrkog%C3%A5rden Galärvarvskyrkogården]&nbsp;''(Swedish)''  
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gal%C3%A4rvarvskyrkog%C3%A5rden Galärvarvskyrkogården]&nbsp;''(Swedish)''  
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katarina_kyrkog%C3%A5rd Stockholm Katarina kyrkogård] ''(Swedish)''  
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katarina_kyrkog%C3%A5rd Stockholm Katarina kyrkogård] ''(Swedish)''  
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kungliga_begravningsplatsen Stockholm Kungliga begravningsplatsen] ''(Swedish)''  
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kungliga_begravningsplatsen Stockholm Kungliga begravningsplatsen] ''(Swedish)''  
*Solna Kvibergs kyrkogård
*Göteborg Maria Magdalena kyrkogård
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norra_begravningsplatsen Stockholm Norra begravningsplatsen] ''(Swedish)''  
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norra_begravningsplatsen Stockholm Norra begravningsplatsen] ''(Swedish)''  
*Stockholm Ravlunda kyrkogård
|
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandsborgskyrkog%C3%A5rden Sandsborgskyrkogården] ''(Swedish)''  
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandsborgskyrkog%C3%A5rden Sandsborgskyrkogården] ''(Swedish)''  
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skogskyrkog%C3%A5rden Stockholm Skogskyrkogården] ''(Swedish)''  
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skogskyrkog%C3%A5rden Stockholm Skogskyrkogården] ''(Swedish)''  
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B6dra_kyrkog%C3%A5rden,_Nacka_kommun Stockholm Södra kyrkogården] ''(Swedish)''  
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B6dra_kyrkog%C3%A5rden,_Nacka_kommun Stockholm Södra kyrkogården] ''(Swedish)''  
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uppsala_gamla_kyrkog%C3%A5rd Nacka Uppsala gamla kyrkogård] ''(Swedish)''  
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uppsala_gamla_kyrkog%C3%A5rd Nacka Uppsala gamla kyrkogård] ''(Swedish)''  
*Väskinde kyrkogård
*Gotland Östra kyrkogården
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamla_begravningsplatsen Göteborg begravningsplatsen] ''(Swedish)''
*[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamla_begravningsplatsen Göteborg begravningsplatsen] ''(Swedish)''
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Cemeteries_in_Sweden Wikipedia] Lists of Cemeteries
*[https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norra_begravningsplatsen Wikipedia] Norra burial ground is one of Sweden's largest burial sites
== Additional Resources at the Family History Library ==
To find cemetery records for ''Sweden'' in the FamilySearch Catalog follow these steps:<br>
#Go to the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/search/ '''FamilySearch Catalog''']
#Enter: '''Sweden''' in the Place box
#Click on: '''Search'''
#Click on: '''Cemeteries'''
To search for cemeteries at the town level, follow directions below.


|}
#Go to the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/search/ '''FamilySearch Catalog''']
#Enter: '''Sweden''' in the Place box
#Click on: '''Search'''
#Click on: '''Cemeteries'''
#Click on: '''Places within Sweden'''
#Click on the town you want to search
#Click on: '''Cemeteries'''
 
== Additional Resources ==
*[https://www.worldcat.org/ Worldcat.org]- Do a search for Sweden Cemetery.


==== References  ====
==== References  ====
*Wikipedia Community, [http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begravningsplats Begravningsplats], Swedish Wikipedia 2012
*Edvard Lehmann, ”Begravning”, Svensk uppslagsbok, 3. Malmö 1930
*Göran Malmstedt, Bondetro och kyrkoro. Religiös mentalitet i stormaktstidens Sverige. Lund * 2002
*Ewert Wrangel, ”Gravkonst”, Svensk uppslagsbok, 11. Malmö 1932
*Ewert Wrangel, ”Kyrkogård”, Svensk uppslagsbok, 16. Malmö 1933
*Göran Åstrand, Känt och okänt på Stockholms kyrkogårdar. Stockholm 1998




[[Category:Sweden]]
[[Category:Sweden]] [[Category:Swedish Cemeteries]]

Revision as of 16:11, 5 May 2020

Sweden Wiki Topics
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Beginning Research
Record Types
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Online Resources[edit | edit source]

Jewish Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Military Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

  • CWGC Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Malmo Jewish Cemetery and many other cemeteries.
  • Skogskyrkogarden Skogskyrkogården is a cemetery located in the Gamla Enskede district south of central Stockholm, Sweden.
  • Kviberg Cemetery Although Sweden remained neutral throughout both world wars, a number of Commonwealth servicemen lie buried in her cemeteries and churchyards.
  • Ancestry($) Sweden, Find A Grave Index, 1800s-Current
  • Wikipedia Kungliga begravningsplatsen


Individual Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

The following is a list from Wikipedia of cemeteries in Sweden.

Additional Resources at the Family History Library[edit | edit source]

To find cemetery records for Sweden in the FamilySearch Catalog follow these steps:

  1. Go to the FamilySearch Catalog
  2. Enter: Sweden in the Place box
  3. Click on: Search
  4. Click on: Cemeteries

To search for cemeteries at the town level, follow directions below.

  1. Go to the FamilySearch Catalog
  2. Enter: Sweden in the Place box
  3. Click on: Search
  4. Click on: Cemeteries
  5. Click on: Places within Sweden
  6. Click on the town you want to search
  7. Click on: Cemeteries

Additional Resources[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

“Current” indicates records are available as recently as privacy laws allow. This date can change from year to year. To determine the exact dates available, contact the respective organization/repository.

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