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Ankaran Cemetery
The cemetery, as a ceremonial place of farewell, as a silent place of mourning and as a place of memory, is designed with the idea of entering the forest and opening towards the sea. The processional path leads through the farewell building and ascends among the burial fields at a slow pace. We enter the forest and turn towards the sea at the destination. The farewell building and the cemetery, in terms of experience, utilize views of the sea that merges with the sky on the horizon. They contrast, frame, and guide views into the depth of the forest, among the verticals that frame views into the light during turns on the path. The processional path is arranged so that the visitor experiences this turn, from the forest towards the sea, on each entrance to the burial field.
The space of the cemetery is defined by contrasts: openness versus enclosure, light versus shadow, and presence versus transcendence. The trees interspersed among burial fields evoke a sacred grove, within which orderly, clearly defined grave plots are embedded. The forest cemetery reveals its dual nature through its layout—a sequence of burial fields or "smaller cemeteries" arranged in terraces rising above the farewell building along the slope. These intimate units are interconnected by a ritual path that doubles as a park pathway, seamlessly integrated into a network of public routes.
The farewell facility is a contemporary single-story structure situated on the first terrace of the cemetery, seamlessly integrating with the architectural language of the cemetery walls that guide the processional pathway. Its location marks the beginning of the journey of mourning, transitioning from a public to an intimate space.
The building is organized into key functional areas: an entrance platform, a mortuary chapel illuminated by zenithal light, and a covered farewell space offering an open view of the forest. This design creates a serene and private environment for bidding farewell. The facility is dedicated to funeral ceremonies, providing spaces for gathering, mourning, and parting.
Year: 2019 - 2025
Type: Public competition
Program: Cemetery
Location: Ankaran, Slovenia
First prize and realization in a public competition for the Ankaran cemetery.
Authors: Uroš Rustja, Primož Žitnik, Mina Hiršman, Mateo Zonta (architecture) and Ana Kučan, Luka Javornik, Danijel Mohorič (landscape architecture)
Collaborators: Tomaž Mlinarič (directional graphics)