Proposal:Historic cemetery
| Historic cemetery | |
|---|---|
| Proposal status: | Draft (under way) |
| Proposed by: | Dcapillae |
| Tagging: | historic=cemetery |
| Applies to: |  
|
| Definition: | A cemetery with historic significance. |
| Statistics: |
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| Draft started: | 2021-01-30 |
Proposal
This proposal tries to describe the value cemetery for the key historic=*, a value used to map historic cemeteries with the tag historic=cemetery in combination with landuse=cemetery.
The value is not a new value, mappers are already using it, but it is not yet documented on this wiki. The proposal aims to specify how to map a historic cemetery considering how the tag has been used so far.
The scope of application of this proposal is limited to recognisable cemeteries as they are described in OSM: «places usually independent of place of worship» and «not close to a place of worship». See landuse=cemetery for more details.
To know when a feature (e.g., a cemetery) has historic significance, see historic=*.
Rationale
As of 8 February 2021 there were 1609 matches for the combination of tagging landuse=cemetery + historic=* in Taginfo. historic=cemetery has been used 475 times (445 on ways, 22 on nodes and 8 on relations), 405 uses in combination with landuse=cemetery, mainly in Europe (notably Poland and Germany). Also in North America (mainly the United States) and Australia.
This pattern of use suggests that mappers have used this tag as a complementary tag to landuse=cemetery to indicate that this feature is a historic cemetery. An alternative way for mapping a historic cemetery would be landuse=cemetery + historic=yes. This tagging has the disadvantage of being unspecific.
The historic=yes tag only is useful to add an unknown historical value to a given object, not to define the reason why objects have a historical value. Adding a descriptive attribute to the historic=* key is not redundant but adds new information. It is a totally different category than simply describing the object as a cemetery.
The value in the tag historic=* is used to characterise the type of feature (see Use). This value should be widely recognised and are in common use. The historic=cemetery tagging is a better alternative to historic=yes in this case. The value cemetery for a historic cemetery is very recognisable and commonly used in the real world to refer to a cemetery with historic significance.
Be included on an authoritative listing of historic sites or a special protected status could be considered as supporting evidence that a cemetery is sufficiently significant. However, being included on an authoritative listing of historic sites is not a mandatory requirement for mapping a historic cemetery in OSM. Factors to consider when tagging a cemetery as historic=cemetery are listed in historic=*. The inclusion of a historic cemetery in an authoritative listing of historic sites can be indicated using heritage=*.
Some historic cemeteries continue to operate as cemeteries for new burials. Others may have stopped accepting new burials and are preserved only as a historical site. A cemetery preserved as a historic site remains a cemetery. Life cycle prefixes could be used where appropriate.
Tagging
Only one new tag is proposed. Actually, a value in use but not documented for historic=*:
The database elements where this tag could be used are nodes and areas , the same elements that are used for landuse=cemetery.
It could also be used as relation (issue to be discussed).
Examples
English Cemetery in Málaga, Spain. See the English Cemetery
English Cemetery on OSM.
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts. See the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Sleepy Hollow Cemetery on OSM.
Waverley Cemetery in Sydney, Australia. See the Waverley Cemetery Waverley Cemetery on OSM.
Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw, Poland. See the Powązki Cemetery Powązki Cemetery on OSM.
Waverley_Cemetery-2.jpg)
Rendering
The rendering for a historic cemetery on the standard tile layer could be the same rendering used for landuse=cemetery but in the colour tone used for historical features.
Features/Pages affected
No features would be affected.
The following pages may need some modification/addiction if this tagging is approved:
- landuse=cemetery - Maybe by including a link to historic=cemetery in the "See also" section.
- historic=* - Adding historic=cemetery to the table of value for historic=*.
External discussions
- A discussion thread on the Tagging mailing list about the same feature before this proposal (2020-12-02).
- A discussion thread on the Tagging mailing list to ask for suggestions for the draft of this proposal (2021-02-09).
- Association of Significant Cemeteries of Europe (ASCE), a not-for-profit organisation which care for cemeteries considered to be of historical or artistic importance. The ASCE website includes a map with more than 150 significant cemeteries across Europe. All these cemeteries are probably candidates to be mapped on OSM as historic=cemetery only in Europe.
Comments
Please comment on the discussion page.