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Gravsten means Gravestone

Lene Dræby Kottal
Gravsten means Gravestone

The Danish word gravsten means gravestone.

In Denmark, most burial plots are reused after 10-30 years, and the stones are crushed if the family does not take it home, so you will often not be able to find a gravestone for your Danish ancestors. If the gravestone was special, or your ancestor was an influential person, the gravestone may have been preserved in the lapidarium, if the cemetery has one. Cemeteries are public property in Denmark and are financed partially by taxes. Therefore, some cemeteries cannot afford to maintain a lapidarium.

The image at the top is a photo of my great-grandparents' gravestone. Their full names were not engraved on the stone. They were Gunder Margrethe Elbæk Christensen (1892-1963) and Niels Hansen Sørensen Juhl (1893-1976). Unfortunately, the photo is of poor quality, but I am glad I have it because the stone no longer exists.

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