Culture Fund awards grant for ecological heritage church yards

AMSTERDAM – Religious Heritage Sites are being showered with special attention during the course of this year. So far, the focus has been on the monumental aspects such as architecture, style, historical significance of the building, art, and the interior. Now, however, the well-known Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, an endowment fund, which promotes culture with a $150,000 grant, has drawn attention to the heritage and ecology of the yards surrounding the monumental sites, often called ‘kerkhof.’ Many church yards also function as cemeteries. Because such yards frequently only receive very basic maintenance, if that, the yards have become known for being a home to rare plant life. The fund's managers are suggesting that this matter needs special attention, hence the grant.