As the world’s population grows, so too do cemeteries. The search for premium land suitable for burying a loved one is becoming more and more scarce with each passing day. So what does one do? Well, the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica, in Santos, Brazil solves this conundrum by going up, as the world’s tallest vertical cemetery. Inaugurated in 1983, Pepe Altstut started the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica as a small building but the demand for space was so high, he continued to build. As cited in the article, “Today, it measures 108 meters tall, features 25,000 storing units (tombs, if you will), several wake rooms, crypts, mausoleums, a peacock garden with its own small waterfall and even a chapel and snack bar on the roof.” Today it’s even a tourist attraction.

And the merging of tourism and cemeteries is not limited to just one type of cemetery. In a previous post, we shared how cemeteries in Wilmington, NC are conducting night tours of the cemeteries and how they delve deep into the area’s rich Civil War history. And there are new environmental cemeteries that double as tourist locations, such as the Hawaii Memorial Reefs. The idea here is that after a loved one has passed, a concrete structure known as a Reef Ball is “cast from a special concrete designed to facilitate the growth of new reef systems” and also serves as the “final resting place for your loved ones cremated remains (ashes).” The replenishment of the coral  not only helps the local ecosystem but also helps to further the tourism for the state through recreation for diving, fishing and boating.

For the full article on the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica, click here.

To learn more about the Hawaii Memorial Reefs, click here.