Continuity and Decline. Temporal Expression of Denominational Cemeteries in Contemporary Times

The study attempts to systematize the leading transformations observed nowadays in denominational cemeteries located in Poland. The time frame of the analyses was limited to the period from the end of the Second World War to the present. Four basic types of transformations have been distinguished and divided into two main directions of changes reported over time, namely: harmonious temporal expression (stagnation/decline, continuation) and disharmonious temporal expression (desacralisation, resacralisation and commemoration). Each type of transformation is discussed separately based on selected examples. However, it needs to be emphasised that the proposed division is not disjunctive as considering the multitude of factors that determine changes in the material structures of cemeteries, processes sometimes run parallel to each other or overlap in time.