Paris has announced a lottery with a unique prize — not money, but the chance to be buried in one of the city’s historic cemeteries.
The initiative aims to restore neglected graves while giving Parisians a rare opportunity to secure burial plots, according to City Hall.
Cemeteries within the capital have been nearly full since the early 20th century, and reclaiming abandoned plots is complicated by legal restrictions.
Winners of the lottery will be allowed to purchase and restore one of 30 existing tombs across three cemeteries. The city will lease the plots to those who meet restoration standards.
“Over the past decades, cemetery visitors have shown interest in restoring historical monuments in exchange for a concession,” said the City Hall in a statement cited by CNN.
The available plots include:
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10 at Père Lachaise, resting place of Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, and Édith Piaf;
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10 at Montparnasse, where Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Susan Sontag are buried;
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10 at Montmartre, final home to Edgar Degas, Émile Zola, and Vaslav Nijinsky.
Each existing tomb can be purchased for €4,000, with winners responsible for restoration costs. They can then lease the plots, starting at €976 for 10 years, up to €17,668 for perpetual rights.
Applications close on December 31, and participants must pay a €125 registration fee.