00:03trying out your very own self-made coffin now why would you want to do that and isn't it a
00:10bit scary
00:10and dark in there it is quiet and peaceful that's how it is now and that's just how i imagine
00:26it'll
00:29be when the time comes it's in and off into the fire a nice simple box exactly what i wanted
00:43helmut dubbers is among those building a coffin for himself
00:48i wanted a simple uncomplicated box and a sea burial without any pump
01:03i'll be cremated so the box will be incinerated nothing will remain
01:10and we had fun building it too that's why i'm doing this
01:13helping the 85 year old is stefan roesch owner of the workshop
01:22it's where death takes us that matters not what we die of
01:29i found working on it removes the fear
01:35it aids the understanding of it
01:40and here i can make that possible if the person wants that if they're open to it
01:49i've already tried lying in it it fits
01:53stefan's funerary business is called herzblut or lifeblood
01:57under his guidance customers can build their very own coffin or urn
02:09i'm a person of faith with this work this final piece of furniture
02:17i want to invite people to reflect on life this wonderful life
02:23and how finite it is make it 25 please
02:30stefan is 65 and a master carpenter
02:33building the cremation coffin with and for helmet took about a day
02:41now it's time to take the coffin home
02:45it'll go in my room
02:46my wife and i have separate rooms
02:49so i can keep it with me
02:52and she won't see it all the time
02:56but she's fine with it
02:59we discussed it beforehand
03:01she's on board
03:05we're in tuttendorf
03:07near kiel northern germany
03:09in a small christian community
03:14it's here that stefan maintains his workshop
03:17and storehouse
03:18after all not everyone takes their coffin home
03:22for a small fee people can store them here
03:25one of them is reiner benz
03:31he too built his coffin himself
03:34over the course of about three months
03:37the work was finished some time ago
03:39but the 75 year old returned to the workshop to show us his creation
03:46the yellow represents the sun
03:51and the blue represents the sky
03:59inside you can find this beautiful suede
04:05hidden behind the suede are the ends of the ropes you can see here
04:09secured inside
04:14stefan specializes in custom coffins and urns
04:18made exclusively from recycled timber
04:20he dismantles and repurposes old furniture
04:24like wardrobes, tables, moldings or oak beams
04:27turning them into new, unique pieces
04:32some clients get it and bring their own wood
04:36one had a whole pear tree felled
04:40he gave me a call and immediately asked how thick to cut the timber
04:45stefan and his wife have their own coffins in the bedroom
04:49until they're needed
04:50they'll hold stories of a different kind
04:52as it turns out
04:54they make a good bookshelf
04:56this is a beautiful day
04:57you
05:02you
05:03you
