Have you ever wandered through a cemetery, reading names and dates, wondering about the lives behind those gravestones? In Trondheim, starting autumn 2026, visitors will be able to breathe life into some of those stories – by using their phones (no, not by Googling; that would be too easy).

Under the wing of the local church, Cultural Graves is a project  that digitises and shares the life stories of those buried in Trondheim's cemeteries. By scanning a QR code on a gravestone, visitors can access detailed information, including photos and personal anecdotes, turning a routine visit into a deeper, more personal encounter with history.

Elsewhere in Europe the Cultural Grave project could be seen as intrusive or even disrespectful, as cemeteries are considered as deeply solemn spaces. Not exactly the eerie, haunted graveyard, but they're often regarded with quiet reverence – almost as if the people buried there would be simply asleep and must not be disturbed.

In Italy, for instance, people usually visit graves of relatives in silence for brief moments, or visit the local cemetery once a year on 1 November to depose a flower to mark their respect to their deceased relatives who might be buried elsewhere across the country. It's somewhat similar to how Latvians approach cemeteries, who throw a ‘Graveyard festival’ once a year in every corner of the country.

In Scandinavia, cemeteries are more than mere resting places for the deceased; they are spaces for reflection and communal engagement where people do not go just to simply visit a relative. It is really common to find people reading books on benches, citizens taking strolls, or sunbathing in proximity to tombs.

Those behind the Cultural Graves project say this offers a dignified way to honor the deceased, preserving their stories for future generations and enriching the visitor experience without compromising the cemetery's integrity, instead bringing back this place as a living part of the city.