Melaten is the central cemetery of

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

, which was first mentioned in 1243. It was developed to a large park, holding the graves of notable residents.

Name

The name "Melaten" refers to a hospital for the sick and

lepers Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve dama ...

from the 12th century. The "''hoff to Malaten''" (modern German: '' Hof der Maladen'', or "yard of the '' malades''") is first mentioned in a 1243 document.

Location

Melaten is in the north of the municipal district of Lindenthal. It is surrounded by streets, in the south Aachener Straße (Köln), in the east Piusstraße, in the west Oskar-Jäger-Straße and the Melatengürtel, and in the north Weinsbergstraße. The 435,000-square-metre cemetery had 55,540 graves in 2008, and is the largest cemetery in the city.

History

Melaten is located approximately one kilometre west of the

city district A City district is a designated administrative division that is generally managed by a local government. It is used to divide a city into several administrative units. City districts are used in Russia (raion), Pakistan and Croatia ( hr, gradsk ...

of Cologne, just beyond the Bischofsweg (Köln), the historical boundary between the territory of the city and that of the archbishop. The hospital therefore fell under the jurisdiction of the archbishop, and was in spiritual hands. KindergrabkreuzMelaten 09

Burials

Notable burials on Melaten include: *

Wilhelm Albermann Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Albermann (28 May 1835, Werden, Essen, Werden an der Ruhr – 9 August 1913, Cologne) was a German sculptor. Life and work His father was a cabinet maker. He attended the in Werden until he was sixteen, then served an ...

(1835–1913), sculptor * Wolfgang Anheisser (1929–1974), baritone * Johannes Theodor Baargeld (1892–1927), artist *

Dirk Bach Dirk Bach (23 April 1961 – 1 October 2012) was a German actor, comedian and television presenter, best known as the co-host of ''Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!'', the German version of '' I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!''. C ...

(1961–2012), actor, TV-presenter *

Wilhelm Backhaus Wilhelm Backhaus ('Bachaus' on some record labels) (26 March 1884 – 5 July 1969) was a German pianist and pedagogue. He was particularly well known for his interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin and Brahms. He was also much ...

(1884–1969), pianist *

Erika Berger Erika Berger (August 13, 1939 – May 15, 2016) was a German television presenter and author. Life Berger worked as a television presenter on German television broadcaster RTL. As a writer she wrote several books on sexuality Human se ...

(1939–2016), author *

Willy Birgel Willy Birgel (19 September 1891 – 29 December 1973), born Wilhelm Maria Birgel, was a German theatre and film actor. Career Birgel began his acting career before World War I on the stage in his native city of Cologne, and came to movies ra ...

(1891–1973), actor *

Hans Böckler Hans Böckler (26 February 1875 – 16 February 1951) was a German politician and trade union leader. He was the most influential re-founder of the unions in post-war Germany and became the first president of the German Trade Union Confederation.R ...

(1875–1951), politician and trade union leader * Fritz Burgbacher (1900–1978), politician * Claus Hinrich Casdorff (1925–2004), journalist * Holger Czukay (1938–2017), avantgarde musician * Wilhelm Ludwig Deichmann (1798–1876), banker * Nevio De Zordo (1943–2014), Italien bobsledder * :de:Joseph DuMont (1811–1861), newspaper publisher * :de:Marcus DuMont (1784–1831), founder of :de:Kölnische Zeitung * Margot Eskens, singer, corridor Y (26). * Jean Marie Farina (1809–1880), producer of

Eau de Cologne Eau de Cologne (; German: ''Kölnisch Wasser'' ; meaning "Water from Cologne"), or simply cologne, is a perfume originating from Cologne, Germany. Originally mixed by Johann Maria Farina (Giovanni Maria Farina) in 1709, it has since come to be a g ...

* Johann Maria Farina (1685–1766), founder of

* Ludwig Gies (1887–1966), sculptor * Robert Görlinger (1888–1954), mayor 1948 to 1949 *

Andreas Gottschalk Andreas Gottschalk (28 February 1815 in Düsseldorf – 8 September 1849) was a German physician. He was a member of the Cologne community Communist League. He was an exponent of the "Left" sectarian tendencies of the German working class movement ...

(1815–1849), physician * Hermann Grüneberg (1827–1894), chemist * Alice Guszalewicz (1866–1940), spera singer *

Josef Haubrich Josef Haubrich (15 June 1889, in Cologne – 4 September 1961, in Bad Münstereifel) was German lawyer and art collector. Life On 2 May 1946 Josef donated the Sammlung Haubrich, a collection by lawyer of art from the years 1914 to 1939 to ...

(1889–1961), jurist, patron of the arts *

Ferdinand Hiller Ferdinand (von) Hiller (24 October 1811 – 11 May 1885) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, writer and music director. Biography Ferdinand Hiller was born to a wealthy Jewish family in Frankfurt am Main, where his father Justus (orig ...

(1811–1885), composer *

Andreas Hillgruber Andreas Fritz Hillgruber (18 January 1925 – 8 May 1989) was a conservative German historian who was influential as a military and diplomatic historian who played a leading role in the ''Historikerstreit'' of the 1980s. In his controversial book ...

(1925–1989), historian * István Kertész (1929–1973), conductor *

Irmgard Keun Irmgard Keun (; 6 February 1905 – 5 May 1982) was a German novelist. Noted for her portrayals of the life of women, she is described as "often reduced to the bold sexuality of her writing, eta significant author of the late Weimar period and ' ...

(1905–1982), novelist * Karel Krautgartner (1922–1982), jazz musician * Hildegard Krekel (1952–2013), actress *

Eugen Langen Carl Eugen Langen (9 October 1833 in Cologne – 2 October 1895 in Elsdorf) was a German entrepreneur, engineer and inventor, involved in the development of the petrol engine and the Wuppertal Suspension Railway. In 1857 he worked in his father' ...

(1833–1895), engineer *

Jaki Liebezeit Jaki Liebezeit (born Hans Liebezeit; 26 May 1938 – 22 January 2017) was a German drummer, best known as a founding member of experimental rock band Can. He was called "one of the few drummers to convincingly meld the funky and the cerebral". ...

(1938–2017), drummer *

Wilhelm Marx Wilhelm Marx (15 January 1863 – 5 August 1946) was a German lawyer, Catholic politician and a member of the Centre Party. He was the chancellor of Germany twice, from 1923 to 1925 and again from 1926 to 1928, and he also served briefly as the ...

(1863–1946), chancellor * Georg Meistermann (1911–1990), artist * Gustav von Mevissen (1815–1899), entrepreneur * Lucy Millowitsch (1905–1990), actress *

Willy Millowitsch Willy Millowitsch (, ; 8 January 1909 – 20 September 1999) was a German stage and TV actor and the director of the ''Volkstheater Millowitsch'' in Cologne. Early life Millowitsch was born in Cologne, Rhine Province. His parents were Peter ...

(1909–1999), actor *

Wilhelm Mülhens Wilhelm Mülhens (born 25 June 1762 in Troisdorf and died 6 March 1841 in Köln) was a Cologne perfume designer and manufacturer, and the founder of the Mülhens company, famous for the fragrance "4711". Life and work Wilhelm Mühlens was the si ...

(1762–1841), merchant *

Wolfgang Müller von Königswinter Wolfgang Müller von Königswinter (15 March 1816 in Königswinter – 29 June 1873 in Bad Neuenahr) was a German novelist and poet. He settled in Cologne, and became a popular poet, novelist, and chronicler of the Rhine region. Biography His r ...

(1816–1873), poet * Ernst Wilhelm Nay (1902–1968), artist * Alfred Nourney (1892–1972),

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unit ...

survivor * Alfred Freiherr von Oppenheim (1934–2005), banker *

Nicolaus August Otto Nicolaus August Otto (10 June 1832, Holzhausen an der Haide, Nassau – 26 January 1891, Cologne) was a German engineer who successfully developed the compressed charge internal combustion engine which ran on petroleum gas and led to the mod ...

(1832–1891), inventor of the motor named after him *

Gunther Philipp Gunther Philipp (8 June 1918 – 2 October 2003) was an Austrian film actor, physician and swimmer. From 1949 to 2002 he appeared as an actor in 147 movies for cinema and television, mainly in comic roles. As an author, Philipp wrote 21 film scr ...

(1918–2003), Schauspieler (Lit. D) *

Sigmar Polke Sigmar Polke (13 February 1941 – 10 June 2010) was a German painter and photographer. Polke experimented with a wide range of styles, subject matters and materials. In the 1970s, he concentrated on photography, returning to paint in the 1980s ...

(1941–2010), Maler und Photograph (Lit. D Nr. 28) *

Anton Räderscheidt Anton Räderscheidt (October 11, 1892 – March 8, 1970) was a German painter who was a leading figure of the New Objectivity. Räderscheidt was born in Cologne. His father was a schoolmaster who also wrote poetry. From 1910 to 1914, Räderscheidt ...

(1892–1970), painter * August Reichensperger (1808–1895), jurist, politician and patron of the

Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese o ...

Heinrich Reissdorf The private brewery Heinrich Reissdorf GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 1894 by Heinrich Reissdorf in Cologne. It produces a top fermented beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, an ...

, brewery owner * Fritz Rémond Jr. (1902–1976), actor and theatre manager * Johann Heinrich Richartz (1796–1861), founder of Wallraf-Richartz-Museum *

Albert Richter Albert Richter (14 October 1912 – 2 January 1940) was a German cyclist who won the world sprint championship. He was taken from a train by the Gestapo and never seen alive again. Background Albert Richter, known to friends as Teddy, grew ...

(1912–1940), cyclist * Wilhelm Riphahn (1889–1963), architect * August Sander (1876–1964), photographer * Elisabeth Scherer (1914–2013), actress * Bernard Schultze (1915–2005), painter * Helma Seitz (1913–1995), actress *

Vincenz Statz Vincenz Statz (9 April 1819, Cologne – † 21 August 1898, Cologne) was a Neo-Gothic German architect, mainly active in the Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ...

(1819–1898), architect and sculptor *

Rolf Stommelen Rolf Johann Stommelen (11 July 1943 – 24 April 1983) was a racing driver from Siegen, Germany. He participated in 63 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scored a total of 14 championship points. He also particip ...

(1943–1983), racing driver *

Jón Sveinsson Jón Stefán Sveinsson, better known as "Nonni" (16 November 1857 in Möðruvellir in Hörgárdalur – 16 October 1944 in Cologne) was an Icelandic children's writer and member of the Society of Jesus. He left Iceland in 1870 for France, whe ...

(1857–1944), author * Christine Teusch (1888–1968), politician *

Gisela Uhlen Gisela Uhlen (16 May 1919 – 16 January 2007) was a German film actress and occasional screen writer. Biography Uhlen was born Gisela Friedlinde Schreck (German national library entry) in Leipzig, Germany as fourth child of Luise Frieda and ...

(1919–2007), actress *

Oswald Mathias Ungers Oswald Mathias Ungers (12 July 1926 – 30 September 2007) was a German architect and architectural theorist, known for his rationalist designs and the use of cubic forms. Among his notable projects are museums in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Colog ...

(1926–2007), architect *

Ferdinand Franz Wallraf Ferdinand Franz Wallraf (20 July 1748 - 18 March 1824) was a German botanist, mathematician, theologian, art collector and Roman Catholic priest. His collection formed the founding nucleus of the Wallraf–Richartz Museum. Biography He was the s ...

(1748–1824), see Wallraf-Richartz-Museum *

Guido Westerwelle Guido Westerwelle (; 27 December 1961 – 18 March 2016) was a German politician who served as Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel and Vice-Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011, being the first openly gay person ...

(1961–2016), politician * Johann Peter Weyer (1794–1864), Stadtbaumeister *

Erwin Wickert Erwin Wickert (7 January 1915 – 26 March 2008) was a German diplomat who, during the 1970s, served as the ambassador to Romania and China. Early life and education Born in Bralitz and raised in Wittenberg, Wickert applied to join the '' Sturmab ...

(1915–2008), diplomat andauthor *

Leopold von Wiese Leopold Max Walther von Wiese und Kaiserswaldau (2 December 1876, Glatz, German Empire – 11 January 1969, Cologne, West Germany) was a German sociologist and economist, as well as professor and chairman of the German Sociological Association ...

(1876–1969), sociologist * Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski (1922–2005), politician *

Hermann Wissmann Hermann Wilhelm Leopold Ludwig Wissmann, after 1890 Hermann von Wissmann (4 September 1853 – 15 June 1905), was a German explorer and administrator in Africa. Early life Born in Frankfurt an der Oder, Wissmann was enlisted in the Army in 18 ...

(1853–1905), governor of Deutsch-Ostafrika *

Otto Wolff Otto Wolff AG was a German steelmaker founded in Cologne by the industrialists Otto Wolff and Ottmar E. Strauß in 1904. One of the largest businesses in pre-war Germany, it exists today as an independent subsidiary of the ThyssenKrupp group. His ...

(1881–1940), industrialist * Otto Wolff von Amerongen (1918–2007), entrepreneur *

Ernst Friedrich Zwirner Ernst Friedrich Zwirner was an architect born at Jakobswalde otlarniain Silesia in 1802, he died at Cologne in 1861. He studied in Breslau and Berlin, and worked at the latter place under Karl Friedrich Schinkel. From 1833 he was the leading a ...

(1802–1861), architect, Dombaumeister *

Helmut Martin Helmut Martin (5 May 1940 in Kassel, Germany – 8 June 1999) was a German sinologist best known for his work on modern Chinese literature. Biography Martin studied Sinology and Slavic Studies in Munich, Belgrade, Paris and Heidelberg. He earn ...

(1940–1999), sinologist

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cemeteries in Cologne