Lithuania Participates in Annual Meeting of the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe
The Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture represented Lithuania at the annual meeting of the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE), held in early September in Dresden, Germany. Chief specialists Rasita Ankudavičienė and Indrė Baliulytė attended the event.
ASCE president Lidija Pliberšek welcomed participants, who reviewed the association’s annual activities and shared experiences from the European Week of Discovering Cemeteries. This year, the Council of Europe’s Cultural Route “European Cemeteries Route” received the Good Practice Award.
We hope that Lithuania will also join the European Cemeteries Route in the coming years, which was certified by the Council of Europe in 2010. As was aptly noted during the convention, historic cemeteries are not only history but also open-air art museums free of charge.
During the conference “Future through Remembrance”, members discussed the preservation of historic cemeteries and exchanged best practices from across Europe. Participants also visited Dresden’s Loschwitz Cemetery, known for its artistic monuments and burials of prominent cultural figures, often compared to Vilnius’ Antakalnis Cemetery.
Lithuania joined ASCE in 2024, renewing its membership. Since then, the country has actively taken part in the Eropean Week of Discovering Cemeteries, promoting the cultural and historical significance of sites such as Vilnius’ Rasos, Bernardine, Saulės, and Antakalnis cemeteries.
In detail:
Association of Significant Cemeteries of Europe: AGM 2025 report
Meeting participants in Dresden. Photo by the organizers.