Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg
The world's largest park cemetery

Ohlsdorf Cemetery was ceremoniously opened in the bustling city of Hamburg in 1877. Covering an area of 400 hectares, it is the largest park cemetery in the world. It was also awarded a grand prix at the Paris World's Fair in 1900 for its exemplary plans that set a new benchmark in cemetery design.

Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg resembles a sprawling city park more than it does a graveyard. Laid out in 1877 by its first director Wilhelm Cordes, the site is a public attraction and cultural monument of widespread renown. The graves, the hundreds of deciduous and evergreen trees and the ponds and streams create a harmonious whole that is well worth exploring. The many historical headstones and sculptures form a kind of open-air museum and there are memorials to war, persecution, resistance and catastrophe.

Hamburg's past is represented throughout by the presence of former mayors, politicians, poets, musicians, painters and performers, all of whom found their final resting place here. The cemetery is regarded as a synthesis of the arts of international standing thanks to its historical graves, its 800 sculptures and its fine landscaped grounds.

Ohlsdorf Cemetery is quite simply a beautiful place to be buried. Around 1.5 million internments have taken place here since 1877. The 275,000 or so plots are non-denominational and represent numerous faith communities and more than 52,000 victims of war. Highlights include 16 mausoleums of local families, married couples' graves, headstones adorned with butterfly motifs, a garden specifically for women's graves, twelve chapels and three ceremonial halls. The chapels have eleven rooms for ritual washings and there is a dignified atmosphere throughout, with thousands of trees and flowers interspersed with benches to sit and reflect. Located at the main entrance, the cemetery museum houses exhibits from the cemetery's beginnings to the present day and provides insight into historical and modern burial practices. Open daily. Guided tours are available.


Contact:
E-Mail: information@friedhof-hamburg.de
Internet: http://www.friedhof-hamburg.de/