Feuerbestattung#

Cremation: The practice of cremation was introduced in Austria in 1922 thanks to efforts dating back to 1885 and the movement "Die Flamme" ("The Flame"). In Vienna a crematorium was erected in 1923 opposite the Zentralfriedhof Cemetery on the grounds of Neugebaeude Castle; the crematorium was designed by C. Holzmeister (with frescoes by A. Kolig). Other crematoriums were built in 1927 in Steyr, in 1929 in Linz, in 1932 in Graz and Salzburg, in 1953 in Villach and 1975 in Knittelfeld and St. Poelten.

It was for religious reasons in particular that cremation was not a commonly recognised method of burial in Austria for a very long time; it was not until 1963, when the Roman Catholic Church amended the provision of Canon Law and the archdiocese of Vienna recognised cremation as being equally acceptable as burial in the ground in 1966 that the practice of cremation slowly increased. In 1992 12,841 bodies (14 %) were cremated in Austria.