How Are European Countries Dealing with Overcrowded Cemeteries?

Death might be permanent, but that doesn't mean you won't be forced to move at some point. With rising populations and expanding urban areas, many European countries are having to deal with the unpleasant but very important issue of cemetery overcrowding. One increasingly common solution is to remove the remains of those who have been buried for some time and then cremate them, leaving the plot free for the more recently deceased.

A similar practice has been going on for a long time in Portugal, where in the 1800s the dead were buried in churchyards only temporarily. When necessary, the bones would be exhumed and placed in a common ossuary. These days, one of the more popular methods is to rent the cemetery space for a few years, sometimes with the allowance for extensions, for a price. Another option is to bring up the bones of the long-time dead, deepen the grave, and replace them. The space on top would then be filled by a new casket.

Some cemetery surprises: