There is no cemetery in Suchdol, and many residents of Suchdol traditionally bury their loved ones in Únětice, where they also used to attend school and church. Plans for a cemetery in Suchdol have been under consideration for some time, and since 2008, the Land Use Plan for Prague has designated an area near the Chapel of St. Wenceslas in Starý Suchdol for its construction.

In our design for the new cemetery, we draw on the qualities of the site’s existing character: the canopies of mature trees, the horizon of the open fields, the cemetery wall of the chapel, and the paths continuing along a tranquil route toward the view from Kozí hřbety. We define a space that expresses life and death in their very essence. The Chapel of St. Wenceslas remains the dominant feature and the sole contemplative architectural element of the complex.

Horizontality, the destigmatization of the cemetery site, the removal of the traditional cemetery wall, and views into the landscape are key themes of the design.

The central motif of the design is the path to Kozí hřbety, which is brought from the floor plan into the space by an avenue of tall, long-lived trees. The site marks the beginning of a journey of tranquility toward the valley of the Únětický Stream. We divide the area into functional zones with varying landscape characteristics. At the entrance to the site, we propose a new building to house the cemetery administrator’s office, complete with public restrooms and parking. We define the space for traditional burials using grave borders arranged in a regular grid. Dividing the site using a systematic grid allows for easier adaptation of the cemetery’s expansion to current capacity requirements while preserving the overall concept. The recreational meadow, located on the site of the original orchard, serves as a reserve for the cemetery’s expansion. We open St. Wenceslas Chapel to all visitors as a refuge from the outside world. Its spaces will also be used for weddings and memorial services. We are reserving the wooded area behind the chapel for alternative methods of interment, such as placing ashes at the roots of trees or scattering them on the meadow. Essentially, we are regulating the existing landscape of the grounds while allowing it space to develop naturally over time. The result will be a seamless transition from the cemetery grounds into the open landscape.