Animal cemetery on Wisenberg

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Animal cemetery at Wisenberg in Läufelfingen BL, Switzerland.
One of the grave fields of the animal cemetery on Wisenberg with a view of the pond.

The animal cemetery at Wisenberg, also commonly known as the Läufelfingen animal cemetery , is a cemetery for small animals in the Swiss municipality of Läufelingen in the canton of Basel-Landschaft .

location

The animal cemetery on the Wisenberg is located at the foot of the Wisenberg in Läufelfingen. The community is located in the Homburgertal in Basel, at the foot of the Lower Hauenstein between Olten SO and Sissach BL . The way to the pet cemetery is signposted at the exit of Läufelfingen, in the direction of Olten.

history

The animal cemetery, founded in 2001 by Urs and Marlies Mörgeli, is the oldest facility of its kind in Switzerland. As early as 1999, the couple was concerned with the question of what should happen to their sick Yorkshire Terrier Seppli when he dies. Under no circumstances did the Mörgelis want to dispose of their dog in an animal body collection point , but rather give it a dignified resting place.

Because there was no animal cemetery in Switzerland at the time, the Mörgelis decided to build one themselves. As a result, they evaluated possible locations in over 100 municipalities in several cantons and clarified the legal framework conditions with the responsible authorities. A suitable area was finally found in the Baselbiet municipality of Läufelfingen. It was an industrial wasteland on which a Gips-Union gypsum factory was operated until 1984.

The municipal council of Läufelfingen supported the Mörgelis' plan to build a pet cemetery, namely the then mayor Margrit Balscheit. There were also no reservations on the part of the cantonal authorities, either from a spatial planning point of view or with regard to water protection. For the implementation, however, the zoning plan of the community first had to be changed and a pet cemetery zone created. The municipal assembly in Läufelfingen approved this zoning plan change in January 2001.

In March 2001, the creation of the pet cemetery was also legitimized at the federal level thanks to the support of the Basel canton veterinarian Ignaz Bloch. The Federal Ordinance on the Disposal of Animal By-Products (at that time the Ordinance on the Disposal of Animal Waste) now includes the passage that pets may be buried in animal cemeteries.

Construction work began in June 2001. The hall of the former gypsum factory was demolished and the area redesigned. A pet cemetery, a nature park and a rose garden were created from the former industrial wasteland. By the end of 2016, a total of 1,600 animals had been buried in the animal cemetery at Wisenberg.

Cemetery complex

Pond and biotope of the animal cemetery on Wisenberg

The animal cemetery at Wisenberg measures one hectare. In addition to the animal cemetery, it is also a nature park. Among other things, it has a pond with water lilies , several dry stone walls and a 200 meter long hedge made from native plants. Various species of lizards, birds, dragonflies and butterflies can be found on the site, as well as the midwife toad , which is on the red list in Switzerland . With around 300 rose bushes, the animal cemetery on the Wisenberg is probably the largest rose garden in the region.

Dry stone wall along the main path of the animal cemetery on Wisenberg

The graves of the animal cemetery at Wisenberg are individually planted and mostly with wooden panels and occasionally with tombstones. Some art objects are set up along the paths. The large stone sculpture of a dog that was drowned in the Rhine is a memorial for abused animals.

The only massive building on the animal cemetery at Wisenberg is the old transformer house of the former plaster factory from 1920. It was renovated in 2002/2003 and a cemetery and common room was set up in it, the so-called "Turmstübli". There is also a woodshed next to the parking lot at the entrance.

Web links

Commons : Tierfriedhof am Wisenberg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Jost Auf der Maur: For Sepplis a long sleep: There was previously no public animal cemetery in Switzerland. The Mörgeli couple did pioneering work - and thus helped people. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . May 18, 2002, ISSN  0376-6829 ( nzz.ch [accessed May 19, 2017]).
  2. ↑ a b c d Tierfriedhof News (official organ of the Förderverein pro Tierfriedhof and the Tierfriedhof am Wisenberg), special edition November 2015.
  3. ↑ Ulrike Hark: United with the darling until death . In: Tages-Anzeiger . April 2, 2015, ISSN  1422-9994 ( tagesanzeiger.ch [accessed on May 19, 2017]).
  4. ↑ Niklaus Wächter: It was very busy at the animal cemetery: You came especially from Hamburg with Dave . In: look . October 31, 2015 ( blick.ch [accessed on May 19, 2017]).
  5. ↑ René Schulte: Rest in Peace: Tapsi the cat is buried. In: Animal World 47/2016. November 24, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Working in the "Gipsi" in Läufelfingen. HistoryBaselland, January 15, 2015, accessed May 19, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Läufelfingen. regionatur - nature and landscape of the Basel region, accessed on 19 May 2017 .
  8. ↑ SR 916.441.22: Ordinance on the Disposal of Animal Waste (VETA) of February 3, 1993 (as of May 15, 2001) - Art. 8 para. F. Federal Chancellery, accessed on May 19, 2017 .
  9. ↑ SR 916.441.22: Ordinance on the Disposal of Animal By-Products (VTNP) of May 25, 2011 (as of January 1, 2016) - Art. 25 Para. E. Federal Chancellery, accessed on May 19, 2017 .
  10. ↑ a b Friends of the animal cemetery: Annual report 2004 . In: Tierfriedhof News (official organ of the Förderverein pro Tierfriedhof and the Tierfriedhof am Wisenberg), May 2005 edition.
  11. ↑ Red List of Amphibians. Coordination Office for Amphibian & Reptile Protection in Switzerland (karch), accessed on May 19, 2017 .
  12. ↑ Tierfriedhof News (official organ of the Förderverein pro Tierfriedhof and the Tierfriedhof am Wisenberg), May 2005 edition.