Paris Authorities Launch Unique Cemetery Lottery
Paul Simondon, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of funeral matters, told AFP that the lottery attracted significant attention:
"In the first 24 hours we had 1,000 clicks on the application forms."
The Paris city administration introduced a distinctive lottery offering winners eternal rest in historic but abandoned tombs in exchange for their restoration. Despite the city's cemetery system comprising 634,000 plots, being buried near famed personalities such as American musician and poet Jim Morrison in Père Lachaise or French writer Simone de Beauvoir in Montparnasse has been nearly impossible, as these cemeteries have been full since the early 1900s.
Lottery Details and Conditions
Many graves in these cemeteries lie abandoned but cannot be demolished due to their historic significance. Starting Monday, Paris city hall offers 30 monuments through this lottery:
- 10 in Père Lachaise
- 10 in Montparnasse
- 10 in Montmartre
Applicants must provide certificates from specialist stone-cutting companies to prove they understand the restoration costs, ensuring transparency about expenses, explained Simondon. Paris authorities warn that if the restoration and purchase conditions are not fulfilled, the sale will be canceled and the buyer will forfeit the investment.
Simondon emphasized, "That restoration mechanism allows families for the first time to anticipate purchasing a burial site within city limits."
Significance of the Initiative
This initiative creates a new opportunity for families seeking burial places in historic Paris cemeteries which have been unavailable for over a century, while simultaneously preserving and restoring important cultural heritage sites.
Author’s summary: Paris launches a lottery allowing citizens to acquire and restore historic tombs for burial, opening rare access to iconic cemeteries entrenched in cultural heritage.