Symposium provided insight into questions and issues that we face when opening our cemeteries to the visitors, implementing new technologies as well as trying to preserve the cultural heritage.

Symposium lead us through several topics. From broader understanding of Cultural routes of Europe through the ways in which digital technologies may change yet preserve the cemeteries as we know them. A detailed overview on several solutions was provided with emphasis on using ARTOUR platform to research and engage with our visitors.

Mrs Lidija Pliberšek, ASCE president and director of Pogrebno podjetje Maribor company provided us with understanding why the symposium was of great importance for European Cemeteries route members. Exchanging know-how and latest findings on issues of cemeteries and tourism is as important as personal networking that occurs at such events.

A warm welcome to the city of Ljubljana and its amazing Žale cemetery was expressed by the director of Žale company Mr Robert Martinčič. A company that is for sure one of the leading in opening new frontiers of introducing new technologies to the cemeteries.

Cultural routes of Europe

Our network is a part of much larger initiative supported by the Council of Europe, Cultural routes of Europe. Understanding this network can help us utilize and create more effects at our local or European level which was presented by Mrs. Špela Spanžel, Representative of the Ministry of Culture of Slovenia to the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe.

Change

Cemeteries are the one place mirror of subcultures in their surrounding territories. Often arranged by the religious or other criteria these memorial parks reflect the way various segments of people are dealing with questions of living and afterlife, love and sorrow.

Symposium Digital technologies at cemeteries opened new perspectives on segment that will influence this arrangements in the future.

These perspectives feel very intrusive nowadays and are unacceptable to most prevailing cultures. Yet as cemeteries managers we must understand the emerging of this new culture. And as expressed by Mr Dušan Vrban who presented the topic "In order to make the solutions available while not disturbing others we should consider the digital segment of the cemeteries".

Preservation and inspiration

Mr Dušan Vrban explained one more important aspect that while cemeteries will be changed by digital technologies their cultural heritage may be preserved by these same technologies. Using the most advanced photo, video and scanning devices allows the heritage to be stored in best details for generations and centuries. At the same time it can help inspire the new generations and show them the beauty of cemeteries.

Engage the visitors

Mr Miran Drgajner presented the issues around grave search and how we can interact and work with visitors on these topics. With specific apps we can allow them to provide data to us like locations of graves or photos of these graves. We may provide services.

Mr Boštjan Burger looked at this subject from another perspective by providing users a Virtual tour of the cemetery through most detailed and precise Virtual Reality solution. Working on this for over 20 years allows us to understand the heritage of various places through time.

At the same time we may work with visitors in team projects to research the cultural heritage of the cemeteries. All the tools to do this are already available for members of European Cemeteries route. At the symposium we have presented these tools and worked on a test researching project of Žale cemetery together.

Looking forward

Symposium was much more then a knowledge exchange event. It provided insight into questions and issues that we face when opening our cemeteries to the visitors, implementing new technologies as well as trying to preserve the cultural heritage. These questions were raised in our conversations among breaks and visits of various places.

Many of those questions brought to interesting solutions. Ones that will be tried and those that might get forgotten for a while. Yet again for sure the solutions that we will see implemented more and more in the future.