Round trips to the central cemetery of

Rows of graves at the Central Cemetery
After the simple and minimised „savings funerals“ under Emperor Joseph II, in the second half of the 19th century the wealthy bourgeoisie tried to emulate the aristocrats and staged ostentatious funeral ceremonies and burials. The much-quoted concept of the „schöne Leich“ was born. Even today, the „schöne Leich“ still attracts the interest of the Viennese population; state funerals of politicians as well as funerals of personalities from other creative fields are occasions for many people to pay their last respects to these prominent deceased. For example, when a Federal President is buried, the street leading from the main portal to the presidential tomb, flanked on both sides by groups of honourary graves, is the scene of long funeral processions. But representatives of contemporary pop culture are also sometimes bidden farewell on a grand scale: In February 1998, thousands of people attended the ceremonial burial of pop star Falco in a grave dedicated in honour.

In most cases, burials at the Central Cemetery are carried out by „Bestattung Wien“, a company owned by the City of Vienna, Wiener Stadtwerke Holding AG. Until a few years ago, Bestattung Wien was still a monopolist, but after the Ministry of Economics cancelled the certificate of need for funeral homes without replacement in 2002, the undertaker „Pax“ was the first competitor to open a branch in Simmeringer Hauptstraße the following year. The bereaved have a lot of freedom when it comes to organising farewells, from the (sometimes unconventional) choice of music during the funeral service to the possibility of having the coffin escorted from the mortuary to the gravesite by a historic six-horse funeral carriage.

Since 2008, the administration of the cemetery has been the responsibility of Friedhöfe Wien GmbH (until 2007, Municipal Department 43, „Municipal Cemeteries“), which includes, among others, the subordinate offices „Municipal Cemetery Nursery“ and „Municipal Stonemasonry Workshop“; the latter, however, have to hold their own against a large number of competing cemetery nurseries and stonemasonry businesses that have settled nearby along Simmeringer Hauptstraße.

One of the latest design innovations is the Park of Peace and Strength, designed by architect Christof Riccabona, executed by the Municipal Stonemasonry Workshop under the direction of Leopold Grausam Jr. and opened in 1999. It is a geomantic landscape park divided into five differently designed areas and is intended to invite physical as well as mental relaxation and reflection.