Welcome to the website of the
Royal Dutch 'Facultatieve'

The Royal Dutch 'Facultatieve’ was founded in 1874 as the Vereeniging tot invoering der Lijkenverbranding in Nederland (Association for Introduction of Cremation in the Netherlands) with the aim of promoting cremation in the Netherlands.

In 1913 in Driehuis (Velsen municipality, North Holland), the Facultatieve built the first crematorium in the Netherlands: the Westerveld Crematorium. The first cremation was carried out here on 1 April 1914 to provoke a test case, since this was illegal at the time. The crematorium was charged, but the court acquitted everyone involved due to the inadequate Begrafeniswet (Funeral Act). From that moment on, cremation was tolerated. But it was 1955 before cremation became officially legal. One year earlier, the Facultatieve had built another Dutch crematorium in Dieren, because more and more people saw cremation in a favourable light.

Emancipation

During its Centenary year in 1974, the Facultatieve was awarded the crowning glory of the ‘Royal’ title due to the important role it had played in promoting the acceptance of cremation in the Netherlands. However, it was not until 1991 (117 years after being founded!) that the law established the equality of burial and cremation. The Society not only played an important role in achieving legalisation of cremation, but now also provides essential information about dealing with the human body after death. In 2003, the number of cremations in the Netherlands (slightly) exceeded the number of burials for the first time ever. Read more >>