Abandonment is not only visible in houses and factories. Cemeteries in economically struggling regions show signs of decay too.
When relatives move away or no family remains, the people who maintain a grave disappear as well. Monuments once erected with care become damaged or collapse. Sometimes parts of graves are left exposed as a result.
A quiet but affecting side of a region losing more and more of its inhabitants.
The grave monuments were often designed very deliberately: borders, railings, reliefs and lettering were meant to endure. The photographs show how differently they withstand time. That does not call for turning open graves or names into a spectacle. The focus here is on the monuments and the condition of the cemetery, with respect for the people they commemorate.
Comments