Elvira Ibragimova

This research project investigates the development and challenges of crematorium construction in Hungary during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While cremation was advancing in Europe, in Hungary cremation supporters faced an opposition. The Hungarian case is particularly useful for comparative analysis, as a crematorium was built in Debrecen, while projects in Budapest remained unimplemented. The first part of the research investigates how the clash between opponents and supporters of cremation influenced the administrative apparatus and decision-making process. The second part explores the connections between ideas about cremation and their architectural expressions. By analyzing competition projects and other crematorium designs in Hungarian architecture, the study aims to uncover the difficulties architects faced in creating appropriate forms for a crematorium and how architecture reflected divergent ideas about cremation.