Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Ravne tunnels.
Ravne Tunnels
Colors and volumes in the patio.
Monterrey’s Contemporary Art Museum (MARCO)
Inside Wonderwerk Caves, underground caves and excavation, Kuruman, Northern Cape
Wonderwerk Cave
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?
about 11 hours ago
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
1 day ago
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
3 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the Netherlands Westerveld Crematorium

Westerveld Crematorium

The first crematorium in the Netherlands.

Driehuis, Netherlands

Added By
Suzanne Hendriks
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Westerveld Crematorium, built in 1913   historynerdxl / Atlas Obscura User
Westerveld Crematorium, built in 1913   historynerdxl / Atlas Obscura User
Westerveld Crematorium, built in 1913   historynerdxl / Atlas Obscura User
Urnfield at Westerveld cemetary   historynerdxl / Atlas Obscura User
  historynerdxl / Atlas Obscura User
  historynerdxl / Atlas Obscura User
  historynerdxl / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

At the end of the 19th century, there were only a handful of people who thought cremation was a good idea. They were actively trying to convince other people that cremation was the modern, more hygienic, and less space-consuming way to deal with the dead.

One of these early activists was Dutch writer Eduard Douwes Dekker, better known as Multatuli. By the time he died, cremation was still illegal in the Netherlands, he was cremated in Germany and his ashes were taken to the Westerveld cemetery.

In 1913, the first crematorium in the Netherlands was built by famous architect Willem Dudok. He also designed the first urns also found in Westerveld. It wasn't until 1955 that cremations were fully legalized, but the crematorium at Westerveld was operating since 1914 nonetheless.

 

 

Related Tags

Cemeteries Cremation Burial Places

Know Before You Go

The whole cemetary is beautifully located on a hilly part of Driehuis and contains graves (and urns) of quite a few famous Dutch people, like Anthony Fokker (the aerial pioneer).

Community Contributors

Added By

historynerdxl

Published

April 24, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Westerveld Crematorium
2- 6 Duin- en Kruidbergerweg
Driehuis, 1985 HG
Netherlands
52.444299, 4.632113
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Brederode Castle

Santpoort-Zuid, Netherlands

miles away

Radio Bloemendaal

Bloemendaal, Netherlands

miles away

Draaiorgel Museum

Haarlem, Netherlands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Netherlands

Netherlands

Europe

Places 354
Stories 20

Nearby Places

Brederode Castle

Santpoort-Zuid, Netherlands

miles away

Radio Bloemendaal

Bloemendaal, Netherlands

miles away

Draaiorgel Museum

Haarlem, Netherlands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Netherlands

Netherlands

Europe

Places 354
Stories 20

Related Places

  • The closed gate at Harmony Cemetery

    Zelienople, Pennsylvania

    Harmony Cemetery

    The first burial place of the Harmonist Society, a utopian community for which the surrounding town of Harmony is named.

  • Addolorata Cemetery.

    Raħal Ġdid, Malta

    Addolorata Cemetery

    Malta’s largest cemetery is a Victorian-era architectural masterpiece.

  • Ahlat, Turkey

    Ahlat Seljuk Cemetery

    Hundreds of medieval Islamic gravestones decorate the mountainous landscape in the largest cemetery in Turkey.

  • Geer, Belgium

    Les Cinq Tombes (The Five Graves)

    A unique collection of five Roman burial grounds right next to the road.

  • The Stecci Cemetery

    Novakovići, Montenegro

    Medieval Slavic Cemetery

    A scattered cemetery of medieval tombstones, each carved with indivdual patterns and scenes, overlooking a bright blue lake.

  • A wooden grave marker at Silver Islet Cemetery.

    Silver Islet, Ontario

    Silver Islet Cemetery

    Carved wooden graves mark the plots at this cemetery in an old mining town.

  • Clover, Virginia

    Grave of Henrietta Lacks

    The woman whose immortal cell line continues to shape scientific research was buried near her birthplace in a grave that was left unmarked for nearly 60 years.

  • Newcastle upon Tyne, England

    Ballast Hills Burial Ground

    This former burial ground, built atop discarded ballast from cargo ships, is now a public park.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.