Munich Waldfriedhof

Coordinates: 48°06′10″N 11°29′37″E / 48.102778°N 11.493611°E / 48.102778; 11.493611
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Munich Waldfriedhof
Map
Details
Established1907
Location
Munich
CountryGermany
Coordinates48°06′10″N 11°29′37″E / 48.102778°N 11.493611°E / 48.102778; 11.493611
TypeWoodland cemetery
Public
No. of graves60,000
A grave monument in the older part of the cemetery, Alter Teil.

The Munich Waldfriedhof is one of 29 cemeteries of Munich in Bavaria, Germany. It is one of the largest and most famous burial sites of the city, known for its park-like design and tombs of notable personalities. The Waldfriedhof is considered the first woodland cemetery.

Description

The Munich Waldfriedhof is located in the southwest and borders several

MVV by several bus lines. Access to the graves by car is very limited. The cemetery borders the beginning of the Autobahn
A95 in the south as well as other major roads in the north and east.

The cemetery is known for the Italian Military Cemetery (Italian: Cimitero Militare Italiano) in the new part (German: Neuer Teil) with 3.249 graves of Italian soldiers, 1,789 of the First World War and 1.459 of the Second World War.[1] Built in 1922, its purpose was to remember those who died in Germany during both World Wars.[2]

History

The Münchner Waldfriedhof as it is called in German was designed by the architect Hans Grässel and opened in 1907. From 1963 to 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 too 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 located in the outskirts of cities rather than in

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.

Selection of interred people

Main page: Category:Burials at Munich Waldfriedhof

Notable burials include:[3][4]

See also

External links

  • Official Homepage of the Waldfriedhof (in German)
  • Constant, Caroline, 1994: The Woodland Cemetery (chapter 1). Byggförlaget 1994,
    ISBN 91-7988-060-6

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Waldfriedhof (München).
  1. ^ "Italian War Graves Waldfriedhof München - München - TracesOfWar.com". www.tracesofwar.com. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  2. ^ "Cimitero Militare Italiano - Italian Military Cemetery". www.outdooractive.com. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  3. ^ Selection of famous burials in Munich (German) Archived 2009-04-19 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Graves of World War II personalities (English)
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