A new name was needed. Roskilde’s \u00d8stre Kirkeg\u00e5rd wasn’t always called that. For many years it was known simply as “the new cemetery”.
\u00d8stre Kirkeg\u00e5rd emerged in 1885. Roskilde needed a new burial ground. Gr\u00e5br\u00f8dre Kirkeg\u00e5rd was running out of space. There was no room to expand it further.
The new cemetery was designed as a central location. As time passed burial practices changed in Denmark. \u00d8stre Kirkeg\u00e5rd adapted to these changes. It was expanded and altered accordingly. For many years it was known as the new cemetery. Eventually it was old enough to deserve a new name. It became \u00d8stre Kirkeg\u00e5rd.
\u00d8stre Kirkeg\u00e5rd serves the citizens of Roskilde. They have the right to be buried here. People with special connections to Roskilde Kommune can also be buried here. This includes anyone whose spouse, parents, or children are buried in \u00d8stre Kirkeg\u00e5rd. This is because those relatives were citizens of Roskilde.
You can find \u00d8stre Kirkeg\u00e5rd at Kong Magnus Vej 13 in Roskilde. It is one of Roskilde’s three beautiful cemeteries. The others are Gl. Vor Frue Kirkeg\u00e5rd and Gr\u00e5br\u00f8dre Kirkeg\u00e5rd.
Gl. Vor Frue Kirkeg\u00e5rd is located in Gr\u00f8nnegade near Roskilde’s city center and train station. It is one of the city’s oldest cemeteries. Gr\u00e5br\u00f8dre Kirkeg\u00e5rd was primarily used for poor people. A new law in 1805 forbade burials inside churches. Soon after burials in the old cemetery around the cathedral also stopped.
Gr\u00e5br\u00f8dre Kirkeg\u00e5rd became Roskilde’s main cemetery. It was designed in the romantic style of the time. It has a park-like atmosphere with winding paths and beautiful plants. Many magnificent trees enhance the park-like feel. These include Weyse’s beech, the weeping beech at the entrance from Store Gr\u00e5br\u00f8drestr\u00e6de and the Temple tree near the inspector’s residence. There is also the more than 130-year-old stately avenue of lime trees from Hestetorvet to the chapel. Access to Gr\u00e5br\u00f8dre Kirkeg\u00e5rd is only through the gate in Store Gr\u00e5br\u00f8dre Str\u00e6de.