Munich Waldfriedhof
Encyclopedia
The Munich Waldfriedhof is one of 29 cemeteries of Munich
in Bavaria
, Germany
. It is one of the larger and more famous burial sites of the city due to its park like design and tombs of notable personalities. The Waldfriedhof is widely considered the first woodland cemetery
.
s today. It is separated in two sections, the old part and the new part (Alter Teil und Neuer Teil). It holds almost 60,000 graves
. The Waldfriedhof is open every day from 8am and closes between 5pm and 8pm depending on the season. During the warmer months of the year the city arranges guided tours. The cemetery is connected to the public transport system
MVV
by several bus lines. Access to the graves by car is very limited. The cemetery borders the beginning Autobahn A95 in the south as well as other large roads in the north and east.
and opened in 1907. In the years 1963-1966 the cemetery was enlarged by the architect Prof. Ludwig Römer.
The cemetery is one of a series of cemeteries in Munich planned by Grässel at about the same timepoint. The leaders of the city had not been fond of the idea of one huge main cemetery when the old burial sites became to small. Thus Grässel was instructed to plan four new cemeteries, one in each cardinal direction
.
The Waldfriedhof was created at a time when most cemeteries were designed as city parks or recreational parks. Typical themes of such cemeteries were "the City of the Dead" or "the Paradise Garden". As the new cemeteries were mostly placed in the outskirts of cities rather than as churchyard
s, and due to the diminishing importance of the church, they were comparably profane in character. To regain some symbolic strength, Grässel used influences from early Christian and Byzantine architecture
in his funeral chapels and other buildings on the cemetery. He also put the burial chapel in the forest, rather than displaying it at the side of the avenue. Grässel kept the trees growing in the area, letting the woods cover tombs in order to create a feeling of connection between nature
and death
rather than letting the individual monuments be the main feature of the cemetery.
The themes and ideas from the Munich Waldfriedhof became popular in Germany in the upcoming decades and were used in several similar Waldfriedhöfe (woodland cemeteries) elsewhere. The Munich Waldfriedhof was also a very important predecessor of Skogskyrkogården
outside Stockholm, a UNESCO world heritage site
.
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is one of the larger and more famous burial sites of the city due to its park like design and tombs of notable personalities. The Waldfriedhof is widely considered the first woodland cemetery
Woodland cemetery
A woodland cemetery is a cemetery where the original landscape with existing trees has been given much influence on the landscape architecture of the cemetery, and where the graves are fitted in among the trees. A woodland cemetery is designed so that the landscape is given a more prominent...
.
Description
The Munich Waldfriedhof is located in the southwest and borders several city districtCity district
City district is a type of administrative division of Pakistan and Croatia.It is also the English translation of German Stadtbezirk and Swedish Stadsdel.-See also:*City Districts of Pakistan...
s today. It is separated in two sections, the old part and the new part (Alter Teil und Neuer Teil). It holds almost 60,000 graves
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
. The Waldfriedhof is open every day from 8am and closes between 5pm and 8pm depending on the season. During the warmer months of the year the city arranges guided tours. The cemetery is connected to the public transport system
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
MVV
Munich Transport and Tariff Association
The Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund or MVV is the transit authority of the city of Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria...
by several bus lines. Access to the graves by car is very limited. The cemetery borders the beginning Autobahn A95 in the south as well as other large roads in the north and east.
History
The Münchner Waldfriedhof as it is called in German was planned by the architect Hans GrässelHans Grässel
Hans Grässel was a German architect. Grässel studied and performed almost his entire career in Munich, and as the council architect of the city he created a series of cemeteries of which Munich Waldfriedhof , opened in 1907, is well-known for being the first woodland cemetery...
and opened in 1907. In the years 1963-1966 the cemetery was enlarged by the architect Prof. Ludwig Römer.
The cemetery is one of a series of cemeteries in Munich planned by Grässel at about the same timepoint. The leaders of the city had not been fond of the idea of one huge main cemetery when the old burial sites became to small. Thus Grässel was instructed to plan four new cemeteries, one in each cardinal direction
Cardinal direction
The four cardinal directions or cardinal points are the directions of north, east, south, and west, commonly denoted by their initials: N, E, S, W. East and west are at right angles to north and south, with east being in the direction of rotation and west being directly opposite. Intermediate...
.
The Waldfriedhof was created at a time when most cemeteries were designed as city parks or recreational parks. Typical themes of such cemeteries were "the City of the Dead" or "the Paradise Garden". As the new cemeteries were mostly placed in the outskirts of cities rather than as churchyard
Churchyard
A churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language or Northern English language this can also be known as a kirkyard or kirkyaird....
s, and due to the diminishing importance of the church, they were comparably profane in character. To regain some symbolic strength, Grässel used influences from early Christian and Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...
in his funeral chapels and other buildings on the cemetery. He also put the burial chapel in the forest, rather than displaying it at the side of the avenue. Grässel kept the trees growing in the area, letting the woods cover tombs in order to create a feeling of connection between nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
and death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
rather than letting the individual monuments be the main feature of the cemetery.
The themes and ideas from the Munich Waldfriedhof became popular in Germany in the upcoming decades and were used in several similar Waldfriedhöfe (woodland cemeteries) elsewhere. The Munich Waldfriedhof was also a very important predecessor of Skogskyrkogården
Skogskyrkogården
Skogskyrkogården is a cemetery located in the Enskededalen district south of central Stockholm, Sweden...
outside Stockholm, a UNESCO world heritage site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
Selection of interred people
Notable burials include:- Stepan BanderaStepan BanderaStepan Andriyovych Bandera was a Ukrainian politician and one of the leaders of Ukrainian national movement in Western Ukraine , who headed the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists...
, Ukrainian politician - Hans BaurHans BaurGeneral Hans Baur was German dictator Adolf Hitler's pilot during his political campaigns of the 1920s and 1930s...
, Hitler's pilot - Günther BlumentrittGünther BlumentrittGünther Blumentritt was a German officer in World War I, who became a Staff Officer under the Weimar Republic and went on to serve as a general for Nazi Germany during World War II...
, officer in World Wars I and II - Michael EndeMichael EndeMichael Andreas Helmuth Ende was a German author of fantasy and children's literature. He is best known for his epic fantasy work The Neverending Story; other famous works include Momo and Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver...
, author (e.g. The Neverending StoryThe Neverending StoryThe Neverending Story is a German fantasy novel by Michael Ende, first published in 1979. The standard English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was first published in 1983...
) - Alfons GoppelAlfons GoppelAlfons Goppel was a German politician of the CSU party and Prime Minister of Bavaria .-Life:...
, Prime Minister of Bavaria - Hans GrässelHans GrässelHans Grässel was a German architect. Grässel studied and performed almost his entire career in Munich, and as the council architect of the city he created a series of cemeteries of which Munich Waldfriedhof , opened in 1907, is well-known for being the first woodland cemetery...
, architect - Paul HausserPaul HausserPaul "Papa" Hausser was an officer in the German Army, achieving the high rank of lieutenant-general in the inter-war Reichswehr. After retirement from the regular Army he became the "father" of the Waffen-SS and one of its most eminent leaders...
, World War II General - Werner HeisenbergWerner HeisenbergWerner Karl Heisenberg was a German theoretical physicist who made foundational contributions to quantum mechanics and is best known for asserting the uncertainty principle of quantum theory...
, scientist and Nobel prize winner - Barbara HennebergerBarbara HennebergerBarbara-Maria "Barbi" Henneberger was a West German alpine skier who competed for the Unified Team of Germany at the 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympics.In 1960 at age 19, she won the bronze medal in the slalom...
, alpine skier - Paul Heyse, writer and Nobel prize winner
- Kurt HuberKurt HuberKurt Huber was a member of the White Rose group, which carried out resistance against Nazi Germany.-Early life:...
, University Professor and member of the White RoseWhite RoseThe White Rose was a non-violent/intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany, consisting of students from the University of Munich and their philosophy professor...
group - Josef KammhuberJosef KammhuberJosef Kammhuber was a Career Officer in the German Air Force, and is best known as the first General of the Night Fighters in the Luftwaffe during World War II...
, Airforce General - Carl Krone, founder of the Circus KroneCircus KroneCircus Krone, based in Munich, is the largest circus in Europe and the only one in Western Europe to also occupy a building.-History:It was originally founded in 1905 by Carl Krone as an animal exhibition. Later the circus was run by his daughter Frieda Sembach-Krone and her husband Carl...
- Carl von LindeCarl von LindeProfessor Doctor Carl Paul Gottfried von Linde was a German engineer who developed refrigeration and gas separation technologies...
, engineer and inventor - Wilhelm List, World War II Field Marshal
- Leni RiefenstahlLeni RiefenstahlHelene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker. Her most famous film was Triumph des Willens , a propaganda film made at the 1934 Nuremberg congress of the Nazi Party...
, film director - Josef Rodenstock, optician and founder of the Rodenstock GmbHRodenstock GmbHThe Rodenstock GmbH is a renowned German manufacturer headquartered in Munich and the only brand producer of the entire spectacles product worldwide...
- Dietrich von SauckenDietrich von SauckenFriedrich Wilhelm Eduard Kasimir Dietrich von Saucken was a general in the German army, the Wehrmacht Heer, during World War II...
, World War II General - Franz StuckFranz StuckFranz Stuck , Franz Ritter von Stuck after 1906, was a German symbolist/Art Nouveau painter, sculptor, engraver, and architect.-Life and career:...
, Art Nouveau painter - Frank WedekindFrank WedekindBenjamin Franklin Wedekind , usually known as Frank Wedekind, was a German playwright...
, playwright and founder of the SimplicissimusSimplicissimusSimplicissimus was a satirical German weekly magazine started by Albert Langen in April 1896 and published through 1967, with a hiatus from 1944-1954. It became a biweekly in 1964... - Fritz WunderlichFritz WunderlichFriedrich "Fritz" Karl Otto Wunderlich was a German lyric tenor, famed for his singing of the Mozart repertory and Italian and German opera and lieder. He died in an accident when he was only 35...
, German lyric tenor - Eduard ZornEduard ZornEduard Zorn was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II, and one of only 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or...
, World War II General