Quoting from website The German Way, “German Funerals: Death in Deutschland.”  Image for a YouTube video.

“The German way of death is perhaps even more regulated than the German way of life. The German propensity to regulate almost every aspect of daily life carries over into the afterlife, with Germany’s funeral industry among the most regulated in the world.”

“Strict German laws and regulations concerning the burial or cremation of a deceased person reduce competition and increase the costs. The German funeral industry is protected by laws, that, with few exceptions, make burial in a cemetery mandatory even if the deceased has been cremated. There is little free choice for families faced with the death of a loved one.”

A typical German funeral can cost from $5500 to $11,000 or more! Even with cremations, a “certified” coffin is required and a plain  wooden coffin can cost over $700. A typical cremation costs upwards of $8000. 

“Those Germans who choose burial over cremation usually have a limited stay in the cemetery of their choice. Because of space limitation, most German cemeteries allow their “guests” to rest in peace only for a maximum of 10 to 30 years. After that they must relinquish their grave to another deceased soul. Only in some historical German cemeteries will you find the graves of people who died over a century ago.” 

“German restrictions don’t end with the laws that dictate where a corpse has to go. Most German cemeteries have codes and regulations that determine in great detail what may or may not appear on a loved one’s grave marker.” (Thankfully, this “rule” is changing.)

The scattering of cremated remains on land or at sea is generally verboten in Germany. When it is done, it is almost always done illegally. To scatter in a lake is out of the question for thoughts of water being contaminated by cremains. 

As an American, you do not want to pass away in Germany! Getting your body, or even your cremains, shipped home is a total tangled nightmare. 

So we learn from that article on The German Way website.