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PARIS — In an innovative effort to address its critical shortage of burial space and preserve historical monuments, the city of Paris has launched a unique lottery, offering Parisian residents the chance to secure coveted burial plots in three of its most famous and historically saturated cemeteries.

The scheme, which grants the rare opportunity to be interred alongside cultural icons, centers on the restoration of neglected, centuries-old graves. Since the early 20th century, the city’s intra-muros cemeteries have been largely full, making new plots virtually impossible to acquire.

A Compromise of Heritage and Necessity 

Paris City Council has designated 30 neglected 19th-century burial monuments—ten each in the renowned Père Lachaise, Montparnasse, and Montmartre cemeteries—for the program. Maintenance of Parisian graves is the responsibility of the deceased's family, leading to numerous long-abandoned and deteriorating tombs, which are difficult to remove due to heritage laws.

The City Council frames this special program as a "compromise" between respecting the dead and providing living residents a rare chance to secure a final resting place within the city limits.

The Path to Eternal Neighbors 

The participating cemeteries house a galaxy of famous figures:

Père Lachaise: Home to Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, and singer Édith Piaf.
Montparnasse: The resting place of writers Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Susan Sontag.
Montmartre: Contains the tombs of painter Edgar Degas, author Émile Zola, and dancer Vaslav Nijinsky.

Parisians currently residing in the city are eligible to apply for the lottery, which will hold its draw in January of next year. The application deadline is December 31, and all applicants must submit a non-refundable registration fee of €125 (approximately 210,000 KRW).

Successful lottery participants will first acquire the monument structure for approximately €4,000 (about 6.66 million KRW). Crucially, they must also bear the full cost of restoration, which must be completed within six months and remain "faithful to the original design."

Concession Costs and Terms 

Once the monument is fully restored, the winner can formally lease the corresponding burial plot (known as a concession). The land itself remains municipal property. Concession prices vary based on the lease duration:

10-Year Contract: Starts at €976 (approx. 1.63 million KRW)
50-Year Contract: €5,260 (approx. 8.71 million KRW)
Perpetual (Permanent) Right: €17,668 (approx. 29.3 million KRW)

This novel approach aims to efficiently restore historical funerary art while offering a highly sought-after commodity—a permanent residence among the cultural elite of Paris.