Authorities in Russia’s St. Petersburg plan a large-scale modernization of the city’s crematorium, which is set to become the largest in Europe, according to a report by The Moscow Times.
The planned expansion comes as Russia faces record battlefield casualties in Ukraine — the heaviest losses since World War II, according to Western intelligence estimates.
The St. Petersburg crematorium, the only such facility not just in the city but across the Leningrad, Novgorod, and Pskov regions as well as neighboring Karelia, has already faced rising demand. In 2023, it carried out nearly 42,000 cremations, accounting for 67% of all funerals in the city.
Documents from the government’s procurement website show that the design stage alone has cost 207 million rubles (about $2.2 million). No timeline or overall cost of the project was specified.
The project includes installing six additional Czech-made Tabo furnaces, bringing the total to 20 and allowing for up to 240 cremations a day. Two cremulators — machines that grind remains into fine ash after cremation — will also be purchased.
Plans call for expanding the main building, which opened in 1973, and constructing a new cremation workshop. The project envisions additional refrigeration units for body storage, new funeral halls with hydraulic coffin lifts, and upgraded lighting domes.
Authorities also intend to create a “one-stop” customer service center, renovate engineering systems, and redesign existing halls. The 82,000-square-meter (882,640-square-foot) complex will include garages, warehouses, and two pools. Entry points will be fitted with inspection facilities capable of X-raying coffins, while fountains will be added to the grounds.