there were many technical skills and practical
issues involved (all accurately listed in the draft
resolution), at its core the job of funeral directors
was to support and guide the bereaved family.
This, of course, necessitated the highest degree of
trust and diligence. The state, the draft resolution
argued, was directly responsible to shield the
bereaved from “dishonest elements, who as of now
can enter the funeral industry unchecked.”
The economic hardships of the post-war years
led some to join the industry for purely economic
reasons and with wrong perceptions of the
trade. These competitors, the draft resolution
went on, were in no way qualified to meet the
high demands of the profession. Moreover, they
tarnished the entire industry with questionable
conduct e.g. in advertisement (the draft is very
extensive on occurrences like advertisement near
or in hospitals or nursing homes) or in acquiring
public commissions. Among several steps, the
draft recommended that funeral directors be
required to assert not only their professional but
also their personal qualification. In addition, the
state should limit the number of funeral homes per
capita on a local level, to prevent unethical means
of competition.8
Looking Forward
Some of the ideas and demands were by-products
of the post-war years in Germany. Some,
however, came to define the self-conception of
the association for years and decades. In fact, the
demand for stricter and consistent rules to enter
the funeral industry is a core demand even today.
To this end, the association is nowadays advocating
a so-called “Meisterpflicht”, allowing only those
funeral directors, who have achieved the highest
professional degree, to register new funeral homes.
In the meantime, the association has been
successfully advancing its agenda in various
areas. Germany is one of only a few countries with
clear educational and training routes for funeral
professionals. In most German states, funeral
directors are recognized as providing essential
public services, alongside e.g. police, fire services
and rescue forces. To educate the public on all
matters concerning funeral services and our burial
culture, a number of organizations have been
established. Among them a publishing house,
a cultural foundation and several educational
facilities.
All these efforts ground on convictions that are the
same today as in 1948: that a burial is an intimate
act and process that requires professional,
individual guidance; that the bereaved need to be
protected in a difficult and demanding time; that
funeral directors need to be well versed in their
trade to meet the requirements of their unique
profession.
1 Niederschrift über die Versammlung der Vertreter der Landesverbände des
Bestattungsgewerbes in Bielefeld am 23.3.1948, Blatt 1.
2 ibd.
3 ibd., 3-4.
4 Auszug aus dem Verbandsregister Düsseldorf Bd. I a, S. 262 (24. Nov. 1949).
5 Die Entwicklung des Bestattungsgewerbes und seiner Berufsverbände, in: Das
Bestattungsgewerbe 1,1 (1949), S. 2-4.
6 Bestattungsgewerbe fordert Berufsordnung. Eindrucksvolle Veranstaltungen
während des Düsseldorfer Verbandstages, in: Das Bestattungsgewerbe, 10,1 (1949),
S. 1-6.
7 Wir müssen und wollen dem Gesamtgewerbe und nicht nur einer Gruppe dienen!,
in: Das Bestattungsgewerbe 10,1 (1949), S. 8.
8 Exposé über die Notwendigkeit einer Neuregelung der selbständigen Ausübung des
Bestattungsgewerbes im Bereich der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Entwurf).
© BDB
Front page of the first issue of the new
magazine.
© BDB
Excerpt from the official register of
associations (24 November 1949).
26
No. 102 – SUMMER 2023 | THANOS MAGAZINE
JUBILEES