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 Alter Friedhof - Potsdam, Germany
N 52° 23.176 E 013° 04.298
33U E 368765 N 5805751
The oldest cemetery in Prussia's old capital.
Waymark Code: WM1043J
Location: Brandenburg, Germany
Date Posted: 02/22/2019
Views: 2
Alter Friedhof is German for Old Cemetery. In spring of 1796, ground water levels in Potsdam were so high, that burials at the town's traditional cemetery were not possible. On April 26, 1796, King Frederick William II ordered the opening of an alternative cemetery.
when ground water levels returned to normal, the alternative place was given to the poorhouse and for the next 50 years, people who couldn't afford a proper burial were put to rest here. In a somewhat unique measure, the poorhouse authorities planted potatoes on the resting places of the deceased poor to feed the living poor.
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In 1813, during the Napoleonic Wars thousands of wounded Prussian soldiers were taken care of in Potsdam's hospitals. Those who didn't survive were buried in a mass grave at the Poor's Cemetery. An ensemble of three statues depicting the living mourning the dead (picture right) was put on top of their resting place. A monument honors the freedom fighters of 1813 (picture below left).
In 1866, the city had grown beyond its original borders and the town's original cemetery was closed and used for new housing. A new cemetery opened adjacent to to Poor's Cemetery. Known as Neuer Friedhof (German for new cemetery) it became the central burial ground for the town. In a turn of values, the Poor's Cemetery, now called the Old Cemetery, was reserved for honored citizen only.
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 Mourning statues on the 2013 mass grave
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Cemetery Chapel, designed by Ferdinand von Arnim |
Thus, some of the town's most important celebrities, like Major Alexander Beyer who died in 1878, are buried right next to the towns poorest people (picture below, center).
Today, the cemetery is maintained as a memorial. The last active burials happened in 1981, when the graves of Potsdam citizen who resisted Hitler's Regime and were killed by the Nazis were relocated to the center of this cemetery. A monument honoring their sacrifice (picture below right) is today the central part of this inactive, but well maintained burial ground.
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 Monument for Freedom Fighters of 1813 |
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 Grave of Major Beyer, 1878 |
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 Memorial for Nazi victims, 1981
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City, Town, or Parish / State / Country: Potsdam, Germany
Approximate number of graves: 1000
Cemetery Status: Inactive Maintained
Cemetery Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Post an original, un-copywrited picture of the Cemetery into this Waymark gallery, along with any observations about the cemetery.
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