Entrance to Richard III Visitor Center
Photo: via Leicester City Council

The grave of King Richard III was opened to the public on Saturday, the AFP reports. The remains of the King were found in 2012 beneath a parking lot in the city of Leicester. Mayor Peter Soulsby opened the £4 million ($6.8 million) visitor center in front of approximately one hundred visitors.

The visitor center tells the story of the King’s eventful life and his brutal death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, including a replica of the monarch’s skeleton constructed by a 3D printer. The museum also details the discovery and painstaking archaeological excavation that led to the identification of the King. The grave is described as, “preserved in a quiet, respectful setting…fitting for the last resting place of a slain warrior and anointed monarch.”

Leicester City Council spokeswomen Debra Reynolds told the AFP “The feedback from people is really excellent, people are particularly enjoying the graveside area.”

British authorities are planning a lavish re-interment ceremony at Leicester Cathedral due to take place early next year, after a drawn-out legal challenge from the King’s descendants who fought for his remains to be buried in York, the city of Richard III royal house, was dismissed by a British court.

Richard III is the 14th great-granduncle of Queen Elizabeth II and was the last English monarch to die in battle. His death ended the war of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York and gave rise to the Tudor dynasty.