Moscow has changed radically since its time as the bastion of communism, but the more things change, the more they stay the same.  During the Soviet era, the elite of the elite were buried in one of two historic cemeteries:  Vaganskovskoye and Novodevichye cemeteries.  However, those cemeteries have been open and taking in new customers for over 250 years, so space is running out.  To rectify this, Moscow is opening its first elites-only cemetery in 250 years to service a new generation of dead rich and famous.

According to the press release, the new cemetery is scheduled to open in 2010 and will be reserved for those “who have made a meaningful contribution to the humanitarian sphere, or to culture, science or society.”  Here’s an important question:  who decides who has been meaningful and who deserves a spot in the new elite graveyard?  That seems like a thorny issue, but since it’s being funded by the city and federal government, I imagine it’d be a combination of those two entities, perhaps in the form of some kind of board of cemetery directors.

Tags: Moscow, Russia, Moscow to open elite cemetery, elite cemetery plots, Moscow to open first elite cemetery in 250 years, Moscow to open third elite cemetery, Vaganskovskoye, Novodevichye, unusual cemeteries, graveyards, elite cemetery to open

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