Gliwice is preparing an investment that will respond to the needs of people who want to give their pets a dignified burial. To this end, a special memorial garden is planned to be built behind the Central Cemetery on Okulickiego Street. Architect Rafał Schurma from Visio Architects and Consultants is responsible for its design. The park-like pet cemetery will be clearly focused on greenery, with minimal infrastructure.
Pet cemetery in Gliwice
The animal burial ground will cover an area of 7,507 square metres, located in the immediate vicinity of the Central Cemetery. The necropolis will consist of 4,886 burial sites, including 4,576 scattered graves and 310 niches in columbariums located along the main pedestrian routes. The layout of the cemetery is designed to present a clear order, based on two intersecting axes of composition. These will organise communication and the arrangement of individual zones.
Memorial garden space
Two independent entrances are planned on the side of Okulickiego Street. The main entrance leads to a small administrative zone with an office container, an information board and a water collection point. The second, for technical purposes, serves the utility and cleaning facilities. There will be 16 parking spaces and 21 bicycle racks by the road. The internal footpaths are laid out in an irregular pattern, without the classic division into a grid of plots. This is to emphasise the park-like and gentle character of this place of remembrance for pets.
The animal cemetery in Gliwice is full of greenery
The landscape design is based on preserving existing healthy trees and introducing native plant species. Along the fence on the road side, there will be a row of silver birches planted in a free line, adapted to the existing tree stand. The central part of the garden will be filled with single English oaks and common maples. Between the burial sites, flower meadows with honey plants such as mullein, yarrow and viper’s bugloss will bloom. Fruit-bearing shrubs important for birds, including wild rose and hawthorn, will appear along the walls. The project also involves the elimination of invasive plants from the area, including knotweed and Canadian goldenrod.
Implementation of the investment at Okulickiego Street
Hardened surfaces will cover approximately 14 per cent of the entire cemetery area and will be constructed using permeable technology that promotes rainwater retention. The equipment will consist of benches, wooden footbridges, platforms, waste bins, bowls for animals and subtle lighting built into the footpaths. The Municipal Services Department in Gliwice is responsible for preparing the investment and has already begun cleaning up the site. Visio Architects and Consultants, on the other hand, is inventorying the trees growing on the plot and examining the groundwater level there. Once the design stage is complete and the necessary decisions have been obtained, a tender will be announced. Part of the work is to start this year, with the investment due to be completed in 2027.
Design: Visio Architects andConsultants
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