Renovation of the mourning hall at the new cemetery begins
11.07.2025 – The renovation of the mourning hall at the New Cemetery under the roof of Stadtwerke Offenbach is getting closer. The first visible indication of this for visitors was the newly asphalted path leading to a large open area in the relative center of the cemetery grounds. The construction of a so-called lightweight hall is now beginning there. From the beginning of August, funeral services will be held here temporarily while work is carried out in the existing building at the "New Cemetery".
"What sounds like a sterile functional room will be transformed into a dignified building with the furnishings of the previous hall before the first farewell ceremony," says Gabriele Schreiber, head of the municipal cemeteries. "The interior walls will be clad and the familiar props such as urn stands and candlesticks from the funeral hall will also be moved to the interim building. This gives us a good, high-quality solution to bridge the renovation period."
Refurbishment to be completed by the end of 2026
According to current plans, the renovation of the existing mourning hall from 1968 will take until the end of 2026, provided there are no unpleasant surprises in the old building. "The building will remain in its existing form and will be repaired," says city treasurer and responsible department head Martin Wilhelm. "The building permit has been granted and tenders and the awarding of contracts are currently underway."
"In the course of planning, it was necessary to change the specialist building services planner, which also changed the schedule for completion. Within a very short space of time, his successor took a close look at the previous planning status and even found potential savings," says Frank Herrgen, project manager at the municipal utilities subsidiary OPG Offenbacher Projektentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH.
Mourners reach funeral hall barrier-free after renovation
"In future, mourners will be able to access the hall barrier-free from the parking lot," says Christian Loose, deputy head of ESO's own municipal services company. "In the hall itself, the ventilation and heating as well as the sanitary facilities will be renewed, and an elevator and a toilet for the disabled will be added in the foyer, among other things. After the refurbishment, an additional staircase will lead to the gallery, which will enable us to meet the new requirements for a second escape route."
The operational and public areas will be separated. This means that ritual ablutions by relatives will no longer have to take place in the dissection room, but in a room exclusively for this purpose, which is located away from the functional rooms.
As the existing copper roof can no longer be renovated, it will be completely renewed and insulated. The old windows with single glazing will be replaced with multiple glazing and the skylight domes will be renovated. Previously, the downpipes for rainwater drainage ran inside and were rusted through. As part of the renovation, they will now be mounted on the façade. In future, the mourning hall will be heated with a buffer storage concept that uses the waste heat from the crematorium outside of its operating hours.
Interim solution offers space for 100 mourners
The centrally located interim hall is available until completion. The route there will be signposted from the old mourning hall. The asphalted path will ensure that mourners do not get dirty shoes even in bad weather.
"There will be room for around 100 people in the transitional hall," says deputy cemetery manager Andreas Bär. "We also have air conditioning here, which warms the building in winter and cools it in summer." For the transitional period, the cemetery administration has purchased an organ similar to the hall in Bieber. The old organ in the mourning hall cannot be dismantled. It will be professionally encased so that it is protected from damage and dust for the duration of the renovation.
Access is not possible during construction work - cemetery cab runs Tuesdays to Thursdays
The crematorium is being renovated during ongoing operations. The cooling capacities will be expanded to meet the increasing demand. The social rooms for employees are being gutted and renovated. For the transition, social rooms were set up for the morticians in a previously renovated administration building, which they have already moved into.
As the construction vehicles will enter the cemetery via the main entrance from Ulmenstraße, access for private vehicles will be closed during the construction work from Monday, August 4. Access will also no longer be possible with the access chip, which lowers the bollards in the entrance for people with walking difficulties. This should lead to greater safety in the entrance area. From Tuesdays to Thursdays, people with reduced mobility can have the cemetery cab take them to the respective gravesites. The driver can be contacted to book the ride on 0157 71821332.