After a thorough European tender process, this week the City of Cologne chose ‘the Facultatieve Group’ as operator of the crematorium in Cologne. Cologne Crematorium is Facultatieve Germany’s third, after the crematorium Memmingen and the Crematorium Niederrhein Willich. The Crematorium in Cologne was opened in 1937 and carries out around 4,000 cremations per year. The building is listed.
Now that the decision has been taken by the City Council, intensive consultation will take place over the coming months to implement the agreements. The expectation is that the actual transfer of operations may take place as early as in March 2019.
Stefan van Dorsser, director of Facultatieve Deutschland GmbH is delighted: “With over 100 years of experience, six crematoria in the Netherlands and two crematoria in Germany within our Group, we knew we were in with a great chance. We are thrilled and very grateful that the City of Cologne has shown such confidence in us. Our top priorities are always quality of service, cooperation and respect for the deceased and the bereaved. Cologne Crematorium clearly has the potential to become a pioneer in Germany, just like our other crematoria. And together with the City, that is exactly what we will strive to achieve. A great challenge that we relish.”