Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf (Zehlendorf forest cemetery) is a cemetery located in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Nikolassee Nikolassee () is a locality (''Ortsteil'') of Berlin in the borough (''Bezirk'') of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, named after the small Nikolassee lake. Located in the affluent Southwest of the city, the area comprises parts of the Schlachtensee neighbou ...

district. The cemetery occupies an area of 376,975 m². An additional Italian war cemetery was created there in 1953. A number of notable people of Berlin are buried at the cemetery; some have a ''grave of honor'' (german: Ehrengrab). In particular, all of Berlin's deceased post-war mayors are buried here.

Landscape and buildings

The northern part of the cemetery was built between 1945 and 1947 by Herta Hammerbacher, and expanded from 1948 to 1954 by Max Dietrich. About a third of the area was forest, which was already 50 years old and was intentionally kept. The trees are mostly firs, with a few oaks, mountain-ashes and birches. Two straight paths in north–south direction structure the cemetery, connected by curved paths. The funeral halls are situated on a natural hill. Between the entrance and the halls is a large U-shaped meadow which was originally designed as

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

. The graves are arranged in rows, both in the meadow part as in the forest part. A war cemetery was created in 1953 for 1,183 Italian

POW A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

s, many of them unidentified, who died or were killed near Berlin. It is lined by trees and bushes and thus separated from the rest of the cemetery. The grave plates are arranged in a regular pattern. Two halls, called ''Feierhallen'' (celebration halls) or ''Kapelle'' (chapel), on a hill were built from 1956 to 1958 by and . A larger and a smaller hall are connected by smaller administrative buildings. In front of the halls, two high walls covered with

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...

symbolize the transition from life to death. The halls are reinforced concrete structures, with fronts of glass open to nature. Architect Ruegenberg, a student of

Hans Scharoun Bernhard Hans Henry Scharoun (20 September 1893 – 25 November 1972) was a German architect best known for designing the Berliner Philharmonie (home to the Berlin Philharmonic) and the Schminke House in Löbau, Saxony. He was an important ...

, built simple rectangular elements on the walls and ceiling, based on a square module, and achieved "zurückhaltende Feierlichkeit" (reticent solemnity). An entrance gate at the Potsdamer Chaussee was built in 1950 by Friedrich Dückerstieg, and a gate at Wasgensteig in 1959 by Hans-Joachim Sachse and Bernhard Busen. A bell tower on the meadow was created in 1973 by Ruegenberg and Möllendorff.

Notable people

Many Berlin celebrities are buried on the Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf. 43 (as of 2002) have an Ehrengrab, cared for by the

Berlin Senate The Senate of Berlin (german: Berliner Senat) is the executive body governing the city of Berlin, which at the same time is a state of Germany. According to the the Senate consists of the Governing Mayor of Berlin and up to ten senators appoint ...

(marked by * in the following list), including

Willy Brandt Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and served as the chancellor of West Ge ...

Mayor of Berlin The Governing Mayor (german: Regierender Bürgermeister) of Berlin is the head of government, presiding over the Berlin Senate. As Berlin is an independent city as well as one of the constituent States of Germany (''Bundesländer''), the office i ...

and ''Bundeskanzler'', and ballet dancer and choreographer

Tatjana Gsovsky Tatjana Gsovsky (/''Tatjana Wassiljewna Gsowskaja'', born Issatschenko ; 18 March 1901 – 29 September 1993) was an internationally known ballet dancer and choreographer who was ballet mistress of the Berlin State Opera, Teatro Colón, Deutsche ...

. *

Hans Beirer Hans Beirer (23 June 1911, in Wiener Neustadt – 24 June 1993, in Berlin) was an Austrian heldentenor and Kammersänger. He was a regular company member at the Deutschen Oper Berlin, Wiener Staatsoper and Hamburgischen Staatsoper and is best k ...

(1911–1993),

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(1898–1986), actor * Günther Birkenfeld (1901–1966), writer *

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* (1903–1975), composer * Peter Bloch (1900–1984), politician * Peter Bloch jr. (1925–1994), art historian and academic teacher * Jan Bontjes van Beek (1899–1969), ceramic artist *

Rut Brandt Rut Brandt (10 January 1920 – 28 July 2006) was a Norwegian-born German writer and the wife of the German Chancellor Willy Brandt between 1948 and 1980, including most of his political career as Governing Mayor of Berlin (1957–1966) and German ...

(1920–2006), author, married to Willy Brandt *

* (1913–1992), politician,

, ''Bundeskanzler'' * Herwig Friedag (1921–2012), journalist *

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(1896–1982), publicist, politician * Hendrikje Fitz (1961-2016), actress *

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(1931-2013), stage and film actor *

Götz Friedrich Götz Friedrich (4 August 1930 in Naumburg, Germany – 12 December 2000 in Berlin, Germany) was a German opera and theatre director. He was a student and assistant of Walter Felsenstein at the Komische Oper Berlin in (East) Berlin, where he we ...

(1930–2000), opera and theatre director. *

Ekkehard Fritsch Ekkehard (and Eckardt, Eckard, Eckart, Eckhardt, Ekkehart) is a German given name. It is composed of the elements ''ekke'' "edge, blade; sword" and ''hart'' "brave; hardy". Variant forms include Eckard, Eckhard, Eckhart, Eckart. The Anglo-Saxon for ...

(1922–1987), actor * Ernst Fritsch (1892–1965), painter *

Fritz Genschow Fritz Genschow (15 May 1905 – 21 June 1977) was a German actor, film director and screenwriter. Selected filmography * ''Hands Up, Eddy Polo'' (1929) - Russenphilipp * ''Beyond the Street'' (1929) - Der Arbeitsloser / The Unemployed man * ' ...

(1905–1977), actor *

* (1901–1993), ballet dancer *

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(1927-1992), actress *

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(1869–1959), actor and writer * Paula von Hanstein (1883-1966), writer *

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(1908–1967), sculptor *

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(1905–1995), architect * Karl-Josef Hering (1929–1998) Kammersänger and actor *

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* (1908–1992), actor *

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(1921–1981), actor * Wolfgang Holst (1922–2010), president of

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* (1908–1980), stage director *

Jakob Kaiser Jakob Kaiser (8 February 1888 – 7 May 1961) was a German politician and resistance leader during World War II. Jakob Kaiser was born in Hammelburg, Lower Franconia, Kingdom of Bavaria. Following in his father's footsteps, Kaiser began a career ...

* (1888–1961), Federal Minister * Gustav Klingelhöfer* (1888–1961), politician *

Hildegard Knef Hildegard Frieda Albertine Knef (; 28 December 19251 February 2002) was a German actress, voice actress, singer, and writer. She was billed in some English-language films as Hildegard Neff or Hildegarde Neff. Early years Hildegard Knef was born ...

* (1925–2002), actress *

Hermine Körner Hermine Körner (30 May 1878 in Berlin - 14 December 1960) was a German actress, director and theater manager. Early life Körner was the fifth child of teacher and zoologist William Stader and Emilie Luyken. The father departed in 1880 on a lect ...

(1878–1960), actress *

Gerhard Lamprecht Gerhard Lamprecht (6 October 1897 – 4 May 1974) was a German film director, screenwriter and film historian. He directed 63 films between 1920 and 1958. He also wrote for 26 films between 1918 and 1958. Life and career Lamprecht was fasci ...

(1897-1974), director and screenwriter * Léo Lania (1896–1961), journalist, playwright and screenwriter * Annedore Leber* (1904–1968), publicist * Julius Leber* (1891–1945),

resistance fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

Ernst Lemmer Ernst Lemmer (April 28, 1898 – August 16, 1970) was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and former member of the German Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the ...

* (1898–1970), Federal Minister * Eva Lissa (1913–1988), actress *

Paul Löbe Paul Gustav Emil Löbe (14 December 1875 – 3 August 1967) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), a member and president of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic, and member of the Bundestag of West Germany. He ...

* (1875–1967), President of the ''Reichstag'' *

Heinrich Lummer Heinrich Lummer (21 November 1932 – 15 June 2019) was a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Life At the Free University of Berlin, Lummer studied German law and philosophy. He became a member of the Germa ...

(1932-2019), politician *

Gerd Martienzen Gerd or GERD may refer to: * Gerd (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname * Gerd (moon), a moon of Saturn * Gerd Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica * Gastroesophageal reflux disease, a chronic symptom of mucosal dama ...

* (1918–1988), actor *

Christiane Maybach Christiane Maybach (1932–2006) was a German film and television actress. She became known as "Berlin's Marilyn Monroe" due to work in films from the 1950s to the 1970s. She continued to act in television roles until shortly before her death in ...

(1932–2006), film and television actress *

Klaus Miedel Klaus is a German language, German, Dutch language, Dutch and Scandinavian given name and surname. It originated as a short form of Nikolaus, a German form of the Greek given name Nicholas. Notable persons whose family name is Klaus *Billy Klau ...

(1915–2000), actor *

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(1923–1989), actor * Maria Ney (1890–1961), cabaret performer *

Bruno Paul Bruno Paul (19 January 1874 – 17 August 1968) was a German architect, illustrator, interior designer, and furniture designer. Trained as a painter in the royal academy just as the Munich Secession developed against academic art, he first ca ...

* (1874–1968), architect *

Günter Pfitzmann Günter Pfitzmann (8 April 1924 – 30 May 2003) was a German film actor who appeared in more than 60 films between 1950 and 2001. He was born and died in Berlin, Germany. Selected filmography * ''Only One Night'' (1950) * ''All Clues Lead ...

(1924–2003), actor *

Erwin Piscator Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator (17 December 1893 – 30 March 1966) was a German theatre director and producer. Along with Bertolt Brecht, he was the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio-political content o ...

* (1893–1966), stage director * Gerhart Pohl* (1902–1966), writer * Ernst Reuter* (1889–1953), Mayor of Berlin *

Ernst Ruska Ernst August Friedrich Ruska (; 25 December 1906 – 27 May 1988) was a German physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986 for his work in electron optics, including the design of the first electron microscope. Life and career Erns ...

(1906–1988), engineer *

Helmut Ruska Helmut Ruska (June 7, 1908, Heidelberg - August 30, 1973) was a German physician and biologist from Heidelberg. After earning his medical degree, he spent several years working as a physician at hospitals in Heidelberg and Berlin. During this time, ...

(1908–1973), physician *

Ulrich Schamoni Ulrich Schamoni (9 November 1939 – 9 March 1998) was a German film director, screenwriter, actor and media proprietor. Biography Schamoni began his career as an assistant director, among others for William Dieterle. He was a signatory of the Ob ...

(1939–1998), stage director *

* (1893–1972), architect *

Clemens Schmalstich Clemens Carl Otto Schmalstich (8 October 1880, Posen – 15 July 1960, Berlin) was a German composer, conductor, and Nazi politician. Life Born on 8 October 1880 in Posen, Clemens Carl-Otto Schmalstich was originally a student attending the Posen ...

(1880–1960), composer and conductor * Wolfdietrich Schnurre* (1920–1989), writer and illustrator *

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(1930–2000), boxer (moved to

Friedhof Heerstraße The Friedhof Heerstraße cemetery is located at Trakehnerallee 1 (''Trakehner avenue No.1''), district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf in Berlin, Germany, to the east of the Olympiastadion. It covers an area of 149,650 square meters. The c ...

) * Richard Schubert* (1877–1955), resistance fighter *

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(1906–1987), organ builder *

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– 29 November 2012) was a German politician, who ...

* (1926-2012), politician, Mayor of Berlin *

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(1949–1998) actor *

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(1925–1975), actress * Heinz Striek (1918–2011), politician *

Otto Suhr Otto Ernst Heinrich Hermann Suhr (17 August 1894 – 30 August 1957) was a German politician as a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). He served as the Governing Mayor of Berlin (i.e. West Berlin) from 1955 until his death. ...

* (1894–1957), politician, Mayor of Berlin *

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(1913–1997), painter * Wilhelm Weise (1936–2012), physician, director of the Robert Koch-Institut *

Wolfgang Zeller Wolfgang Zeller (12 September 1893 – 11 January 1967) was a German composer noted for his complex film music. Life Born in Biesenrode (now part of Mansfeld), Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, Zeller was the son of a vic ...

(1893–1967), composer

Literature

* Klaus Hammer: ''Historische Friedhöfe & Grabmäler in Berlin''. Stattbuch, Berlin 1994 * Klaus Konrad Weber, Peter Güttler, Ditta Ahmadi (Hrsg.): ''Berlin und seine Bauten. Teil X Band A: Anlagen und Bauten für die Versorgung (3) Bestattungswesen''. Wilhelm Ernst & Sohn, Berlin 1981, *

Hans-Jürgen Mende Hans-Jürgen Mende (19 May 1945 in Berlin-Kreuzberg – 21 September 2018 in Rostock) was a German historian. He was a lecturer in the history of philosophy at the Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin. After the reunification of Germany (1989/90) he ...

: ''Lexikon Berliner Grabstätten''. Haude & Spener, Berlin 2006.

References

External links

Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf
project ''Historische Friedhöfe in Berlin''

Internationale Architektur-Datenbank {{in lang, de
Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf
map
Kapelle Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf
images Cemeteries in Berlin