Dare to look upon a place of somber history. This is the Crematoriul Uman Cenușa in Bucharest. It stands on Calea Serban Voda. The Crematoriul Uman Cenușa is more than just a building. It is a silent witness to Romania’s past.
The story of Crematoriul Uman Cenușa begins in 1923. The “Nirvana” society was founded. Later, it was named “Cenușa”. Its main goal was to spread cremation ideas. The Romanian Orthodox Church was very skeptical. Between 1925 and 1928, the society built the Crematoriul Uman Cenușa. It was built near Tineretului Park. Architect Duiliu Marcu designed it.
Look closely at the facade. It has Egyptian, Syrian and Byzantine elements. Two statues stand at the main entrance. They represent “Durerea” meaning Sorrow and “Nadejdea” meaning Hope. Ion Iordanescu created them between 1930 and 1934. The first person cremated here was a woman. It happened in the building’s basement.
In 1940, the Romanian Orthodox Church wanted the Crematoriul Uman Cenușa closed. However, Marshal Antonescu disagreed. He himself was later cremated here. After 1948, the communist state did not encourage cremation. Still, some communist leaders chose it. Ana Pauker, Marin Ionescu and Ion Popescu Malaiesi were cremated here. Victims of the 1977 earthquake were also cremated at Crematoriul Uman Cenușa. In 1989, 43 revolutionaries from Timișoara were secretly brought here and cremated.
The Crematoriul Uman Cenușa stopped operating in 2003. Only the Vitan Barzesti crematorium remained open. The reasons were environmental and outdated technology.
Bucharest’s urban legends surround the Crematoriul Uman Cenușa. Some say a network of tunnels runs beneath the city. The Crematoriul Uman Cenușa supposedly hides one tunnel exit. This might explain the heavy security.
Almost 60,000 people were cremated here over time. In May 2002, the crematorium stopped incinerations. It violated environmental laws. It lacked modern filters and equipment. However, the columbarium remains open. It still stores urns with ashes for an annual fee.
Inside, the chapel was decorated with fine Belgian marble. The City Council rejected a 1.16 million euro renovation project in 2011.
The Romanian Orthodox Church strongly opposed the crematorium. Church officials considered cremation a pagan and Masonic practice. This went against Christian beliefs and Romanian tradition. In 1928 and 1933, the Synod forbade religious services for those cremated.
Even today, the site is shrouded in mystery.
Paul Zarifopol, Garabet Ibraileanu and Constantin Stere were cremated here. Also, Anton Holban, Grigore Trancu-Iași and Eugen Lovinescu. Grigore Antipa, Octav Băncilă and Ion Antonescu were cremated at the Crematoriul Uman Cenușa. Lucian Skupiewski, Mihail Roller and Ana Pauker, too. Victor Dombrovski, Aurel Baranga and Natalia Scurtu followed. Ștefan Voitec and Alexandru Nicolschi were also cremated here.
Today, the Crematoriul Uman Cenușa stands as a monument. It is a monument to history, to controversy and to the choices we make in life and death.