One of the eternal influencing factors on the development of people´s place of living is the problem of burying. These problems change in time but consequentially require long-term planning, the reservation of an area in a proper territorial community with all planned consequences thoroughly thought through. Cemeteries come close to the course of life in society and its relationship to the values of previous generations. According to the state of the cemetery and its tidiness it is possible to make a judgement on the cultural advancement of society. The loss of rituals and the encroaching secularization of society are connected to making the problems of burials and burying taboo. The objective of this work is an attempt to change this state by leading a discussion on the tradition of burying as part of life in the European context of selected cemeteries in Vienna, Brno and Prague. There are taken into consideration the historical influences and the reasons of introducing legal arrangements, historical connections, urban establishments, funereal arts, architecture and pictures of the cemeteries that were studied. There are observed the present trends in burying and the arrangement of existing cemeteries and comparing them with inter-European influences. The problems of cemeteries are presented with their projection into the future on the cultural and ethical level of the moral code.

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Historic public cemeteries, thanks to their social function, are an integral part of urban areas. They exemplify a relationship and respect for values which were created by previous generations. A relatively large extent of the historic public cemeteries, founded during the 18th and 19th century, have been preserved until now in the Czech Republic. Some of them could be extended to fulfil their social function to this day. But some of them, thanks to fast development, have appeared in central zones of urban areas and therefore have ceased to fulfil their original function. Other cemeteries ceased their activity and instead, housing estates, factories or parks were created. In some cases, the original ethical principles were not respected. Questions arise here: what is and what will be the fate of historic public cemeteries which cease to fulfil their function? How will the outcome be handled by representatives, investors and conservationists? The aim of this article is to explain the influence of urban structures on cemeteries as well as how cemeteries influence urban structures and adaptation of these areas to meet its current needs and the needs of the society. It will also give a prognosis for the further development of cemeteries within towns.

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Les rituels funéraires reflètent notre culture. L’article traite de la perception des rituels et des cimetières, l’enquête anonyme a été menée pour entamer un dialogue sur les rituels en : Autriche, Slovaquie et République tchèque. Des questions ont été créées sur le fond des pratiques et des connaissances de l’histoire. Les réponses ouvertes ont montré des attitudes envers les rituels et les cimetières dans la société d’aujourd’hui.