Grabdaten

Grabdaten (literally “grave data”) is a term used in German-speaking countries to denote the data associated with grave sites in cemeteries and burial grounds. It encompasses administrative records, grave monuments, and related archival material used to document interments, ownership, and the physical location of graves. Grabdaten is used for cemetery management, genealogical research, and historical demography, as well as for cultural heritage planning and spatial analysis of burial grounds.

Typical data fields include plot or grave number, cemetery section and coordinates, burial date and age at death, sex, name of deceased, cause of death, religious affiliation, family relations, epitaph, grave type (in-ground, cremation, vault), ownership rights, maintenance status, and changes over time (reopenings, relocations, re-interments). Tombstone inscriptions, parish or civil records, and maps are common data sources.

Data are collected by cemetery administrations, parishes, and archives, and often digitized and integrated with Geographic Information Systems. Practices vary by country and region; in many cases Grabdaten are protected by privacy laws and access is restricted for living persons while historical data are publicly accessible.

Limitations include incomplete records, misattributions, and damage to monuments. Data quality depends on archival practices and the availability of inscriptions. Proper handling requires standards for identifiers, dating, and interoperability to support research and conservation.