Zurich cemetery tempts bookworms with special benches

Stadt Zürich

The city of Zurich has installed five special reading benches in its Sihlfeld cemetery, each equipped with a metal box full of books for people to dip into.

“Cemeteries are not just places for mourning and for saying goodbye to loved ones,” the city authorities said in a statementExternal link. “Many Zurich people use them as quiet places for a stroll or where they can take pause in their daily life. And reading is an activity that fits well into this environment.”

The wide selection of books in each metal weatherproof box can be read in the cemetery, borrowed or taken away.

The initiative, co-organised by the city funerals’ office and the Pestalozzi library, was launched on World Book Day on April 23. It is due to run until October.