Anatomy grave

History of the work

Since 2011, field H4 of the Bremgarten cemetery has held the communal anatomy grave. The urns of people who left their bodies after death to the Institute of Anatomy of the University of Bern for research and teaching are buried here, without cross, name or date of death. According to the City of Bern's brochure on the cemetery, the institute initiated and paid for the site. It is marked by a pale, plain stone sculpture by Walter Kretz.

The stone bears the Latin inscription 'Mortui prosumus vitae', under which Wikimedia Commons also lists the work. Roughly translated, it means: even as the dead we are of use to life. According to the brochure, 20 to 30 people in Bern donate their bodies every year; the deceased are preserved and often serve medical students for several years for practice and research. The grave is meant to thank the donors and to give relatives a place for farewell and remembrance.

Kretz was born in Steckborn on 18 December 1942 and has lived in Bern since 1958 (SIKART, Wikipedia). He trained as a stone sculptor with Hans Brogni in Nidau and later often worked with concrete. From 1975 to 2008 he taught at the schools of design in Bern and Biel, and from 1999 also at the Bern University of the Arts. As an expert on grave monuments for the city's cemetery administration, he launched a research project on the design of grave markers at the university in 2001.

The anatomy grave is one of the special features Wikipedia lists for the Bremgarten cemetery, alongside the graves of interned Belgian, French and Polish soldiers. Also by Kretz, in the same cemetery, is the 'Kenotaph' (Cenotaph) of 2002 in the former shelter by the main entrance.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Kultur Stadt Bern, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum (offene Daten) · Stadt Bern: Broschüre Bremgartenfriedhof (2023) · Wikimedia Commons: Steinskulptur MORTUI PROSUMUS VITAE (Walter Kretz 2011) · SIKART: Walter Kretz · Wikipedia (de): Walter Kretz · Wikipedia (de): Bremgartenfriedhof