Spain's Best Cemetery: Alcoy opts for an unusual award

ALCOY is once again competing in Spain’s Best Cemetery competition. Last year its graveyard came third after Burguete and Roncal, which are both in Navarra.  The competition organised by the revista ‘Adios Cultural’ has two phases and the first has now been completed with artists, anthropologists, historians, writers, funeral directors and the social media making their choice.

Now comes the popular vote on the www.revistaadios.es website which continues until September.  As in 2014, categories include best cemetery, best sculpture and best architectural monument with this year’s addition of best environmental initiative and the best-documented incident.

The European Commission officially recognised the European Cemeteries Route as a cultural itinerary, said Jesus Pozo, the editor of Adios Cultural.  Since then many cities have come to the conclusion that a churchyard could be another tourist attraction and have begun to promote them as monuments.  The Best Cemetery competition grew from the European cultural route and will also bring economic benefits that can be used to protect the environment, Pozo said.