Stahnsdorf Cemetery – last resting place for soldiers and prominent figures

The Stahnsdorf southwest cemetery was opened in 1909. Here, the horticulturist Louis Meyer succeeded in creating a dignified combination of horticultural and cemetery architecture. In addition to San Michele “Island of the dead” in Venice and the Vienna Central Cemetery, Stahnsdorf is one of the renowned grave complexes in Europe. There are 120,000 graves on the extensive site, including those of many prominent figures, such as the industrialist Werner von Siemens, the artist Heinrich Zille or the director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. The mourning chapel in the style of a Norwegian stave church as well as the unique gravestone art by famous architects and sculptors are worth seeing and can easily be found by means of the information maps of the site, which are made available by the management in several languages for international visitors. In addition, 1,172 soldiers from Great Britain and other Commonwealth countries, who died in prisoner of war camps after World War I, were buried in Stahnsdorf. Guided tours of the cemetery site provide a detailed insight into this place of dignity and peace outside the gates of Berlin. On request, they are also conducted in English for 5 or more people.