German Cemeteries

  

Invalidenfriedhof (Berlin)

Originally opened in 1748, Invalidfriedhof is one of the oldest cemeteries in Berlin. Home to military figures spanning over two centuries, the site was also on the border of East & West Berlin. As a result, over a third of the cemetery was destroyed to accomodate the wall and watchtowers. If you look hard enough, reminders of how gunplay was the means by which guards protected the perimeter of the wall can be found. A short walk from Hauptbahnhof, it is a really interesting place to spend an hour or two.

Invalidenfriedhof
The site of the Red Baron's burial site from 1925 till it he was moved to a family plot in 1975
German Field Marshall Hermann von Eichhorn, assassinated in Kyiv, 1918
Cavalry General Theodor Graf von Schlieffen (1831-1900), older brother of Alfred
WWI Infantry General, Otto Hasse (1871-1942)
Infantry General Rudolf Schmundt (1896–1944), fatally injured during the 1944 assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler
Lt. Otto Friedrich von Hindersin (1851-1870)
Hermann von Boyen (1771-1848) a major reformer of the Prussian Army and family grave
General Major Wolff von Stutterheim (1893-1940) who was severely wounded in aerial combat over France
Politician & Theologian, Ernst Troeltsch (1865-1923), a strong supporter of Germany's role in WWI
Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière (1886-1941) the most successful U-Boat Capt. of WW1 with 194 boats sunk.
Tomb of General von Scharnhorst in the foreground
Part of the Berlin Wall which divided the cemetery in 1961
The bell from Kaiserin Augusta Memorial Church that stood in Invaliden Park
The cemetery
The tombstone erected to Manfred von Richthofen by the Third Reich
Invalidenfriedhof

Dorotheenstadt Cemetery & Französischer Friedhof (Berlin)

The cemeteries can be found on adjoining sites with the Dorotheenstadt being the older of two, consecrated in 1762 to service two Protestant parishes. The French cemetery opened in 1780 for burial place for the descendants of the Huguenots (who had fleed persecution in France). One bonus in visiting the site is the Brecht-Weigel Museum which is right next to the museum. Close to the Natural History Museum U-Bahn station, it’s well worth the wander.

Playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) & his wife, actress Helene Weigel (1900–1971)
The entrance to the French section (Französischer Friedhof) at Dorotheenstadt Cemetery
Evidence of the Battle of Berlin, WWII
Further proof of the severity of fighting
Hermann Wentzel architect (1820-89)
Ernst Litfaß (1816–1871), printer & publisher who invented the cylindrical advertising column
The grave of industrialist Peter Louis Ravene (1793-1861)
Evidence of WWII & the fall of the Third Reich
Dorotheenstadt Cemetery
Französischer Friedhof

Schoeneberg III (Berlin)

Also known as Friedhof Stubenrauchstraße, Schöneberg III Cemetery was first opened in 1881. It is known by some as the “artists’ cemetery” due to its proximity to the Wilmersdorf artist colony. Well known graves include actress Marlene Dietrich, German-Australian photographer Helmut Newton & his wife, June Newton. Another feature of the cemetery is the 321 graves to the victims of war & tyranny from both WWI & WWII. A short walk from the Bundesplatz U or S-Bahn station (take your pick from a number of lines), it really is a very serene part of Berlin.

Actress Marlene Dietrich, 1901-92
Ruhegemeinschaft which is a communal grave due to rising grave costs.
One of the family grave sites located in the cemetery
One of the sections dedicated to victims of War and Tyranny
Another section dedicated to victims of War and Tyranny
A family plot victims of WWII
An 11 year old victim
Possible victim of the fighting in and around Berlin in 1945
One of the sections dedicated to victims of War and Tyranny, 2019
Schoeneberg III

Melaten Cemetery

With over 55,000 graves, Melaten cemetery is the largest cemetery in Cologne. Not only a burial site, it also doubles as a quiet place to stroll if you are looking for a break from a relatively hectic city. First consecrated in 1810 (due to public decree forbidding burials within city limits), Melaten is home to a range of sculptures, statues, four war memorials (19th & 20th century) and two cemeteries to victims of WWI and the allied bombing during WWII. You can get there via an 8 minute tram ride (1 or 7 tram) from the Neumarket stop.

Sensemann Wahrzeichen Melaten, Cologne
War memorial to the Austro-Prussian War of 1866
Melaten Friedhof
Road leading into the main body of the cemetery
A statue representing the resurrection
Robert Görlinger, politician
German composer & conductor, Franz Wüllner (1832-1902)
Sculpture accompanying the Hunold family plot
Lehmann family plot
One of the many sculptures in the cemetery
Actor Dirk Bach (1961-2012)
Melaten Cemetery

Links to other cemeteries of interest in Germany

Waldfriedhof

Munich
Waldfriedhof

Aka as the “forest cemetery”, the site is home to notable figures such as;

  • Leni Riefenstahl (Controversial movie director)
  • Paul Hamm (Politician & SS victim)
  • Werner Heisenberg (1932 Nobel Prize winning Physicist)

A link to a more detailed list of notable people buried here

Weissensee Jewish Cemetery

Berlin
Weissensee

Established in 1880, Weissensee is the second largest Jewish cemetery in Europe. However, in terms of area covered, its 116,000 graves makes it the largest in terms of area. 

A memorial to the victims of the holocaust can be found at the entrance to the site as well as other memorials to the victims of National Socialism throughout the cemetery.