Invalidenfriedhof Cemetery
Encyclopedia
The Invalids' Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries
in Berlin
. It was the traditional resting place of the Prussian Army
, and is regarded as particularly important as a memorial to the German Wars of Liberation
of 1813-15.
The cemetery was established in 1748 to provide burial grounds for those veteran
s wounded in the War of the Austrian Succession
, who inhabited a nearby hostel (Invalidenhaus) built on the orders of King Frederick the Great. A royal decree of 1824 declared that the Invalidenfriedhof should become the burial ground for all distinguished Prussian military personnel, including Bogislav Count Tauentzien von Wittenberg
. One of the most notable tombs from this period is that of Gerhard von Scharnhorst
(a hero of the Napoleonic Wars
), designed by Schinkel
with a sculpture of a slumbering lion cast out of captured cannon by Rauch
. The cemetery was also the resting place of the soldiers killed during the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
. By 1872, approximately 18,000 funerals had taken place in the cemetery.
Numerous commanders and officers who fought in World War I
, such as Max Hoffmann
, Helmuth von Moltke
and Ludwig von Falkenhausen
, were buried in the cemetery, along with several high ranking members of the Freikorps
. The body of Manfred von Richthofen
(the 'Red Baron') was transferred to the cemetery in 1925 from his original grave in France
. During the Weimar Republic
, high-ranking military personnel such as Hans von Seeckt
continued to be buried in the cemetery, but approximately half the graves were gardened over in this period.
During the Nazi regime
, a number of senior figures were buried in the Invalid's Cemetery, including former Army commander Werner von Fritsch
, air ace Werner Mölders
, Luftwaffe
commander Ernst Udet
, Munitions Minister Fritz Todt
, Reichsprotector of Bohemia and Moravia Reinhard Heydrich
, Field Marshal Walter von Reichenau and General Rudolf Schmundt
, who was killed in the July 20 plot
by the bomb intended for Adolf Hitler
. After World War II
, the Allies
ordered that all Nazi monuments (including those in cemeteries) should be removed, and this resulted in the removal of the grave-markers of Heydrich and Todt, although their remains were not disinterred.
In May 1951, the East Berlin
city council closed the cemetery off to the public so that repairs and restoration could be carried out, and to prevent any further damage of the graves. Since it lay close to the Berlin Wall
, in the 1960s over a third of the cemetery was destroyed to make way for watch towers, troop barracks, roads and parking lots. The degradation of the cemetery continued in the 1970s, when soldiers stationed nearby began to use abandoned or damaged gravestones to build shelters in case of bad weather. It was probably only the fact that the cemetery contained the graves of German freedom fighters like Scharnhorst, regarded by the East German National People's Army
as its forerunners, that prevented its total destruction.
After German reunification
in 1990 the cemetery came under the monument protection scheme and restoration work began. There is now a memorial to Berliners killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall in the cemetery. The cemetery also contains an unmarked mass grave of Berliners killed in Allied air raids.
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. It was the traditional resting place of the Prussian Army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
, and is regarded as particularly important as a memorial to the German Wars of Liberation
German campaign (Napoleonic Wars)
The German Campaign was the campaign which ended the War of the Sixth Coalition, itself part of the Napoleonic Wars. It took place in Germany during Napoleon's retreat from Russia...
of 1813-15.
History
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
s wounded in the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
, who inhabited a nearby hostel (Invalidenhaus) built on the orders of King Frederick the Great. A royal decree of 1824 declared that the Invalidenfriedhof should become the burial ground for all distinguished Prussian military personnel, including Bogislav Count Tauentzien von Wittenberg
Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel von Tauentzien
Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel Graf Tauentzien von Wittenberg was a Prussian general of the Napoleonic Wars....
. One of the most notable tombs from this period is that of Gerhard von Scharnhorst
Gerhard von Scharnhorst
Gerhard Johann David Waitz von Scharnhorst was a general in Prussian service, Chief of the Prussian General Staff, noted for both his writings, his reforms of the Prussian army, and his leadership during the Napoleonic Wars....
(a hero of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
), designed by Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel was a Prussian architect, city planner, and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassical and neogothic buildings.-Biography:Schinkel was born in Neuruppin, Margraviate of...
with a sculpture of a slumbering lion cast out of captured cannon by Rauch
Christian Daniel Rauch
Christian Daniel Rauch was a German sculptor. He founded the Berlin school of sculpture, and was the foremost German sculptor of the 19th century.-Biography:Rauch was born at Arolsen in the Principality of Waldeck...
. The cemetery was also the resting place of the soldiers killed during the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
March Revolution
The March Revolution may refer to:* The Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas and Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, which began in March of that year...
. By 1872, approximately 18,000 funerals had taken place in the cemetery.
Numerous commanders and officers who fought in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, such as Max Hoffmann
Max Hoffmann
Max Hoffmann was a German officer and military strategist during World War I. He is widely regarded as one of the finest staff officers of the imperial period....
, Helmuth von Moltke
Helmuth von Moltke the Younger
Helmuth Johann Ludwig von Moltke , also known as Moltke the Younger, was a nephew of Field Marshal Count Moltke and served as the Chief of the German General Staff from 1906 to 1914. The two are often differentiated as Moltke the Elder and Moltke the Younger...
and Ludwig von Falkenhausen
Ludwig von Falkenhausen
Ludwig Freiherr von Falkenhausen was a German general most notable for his activities during World War I.- Biography :Falkenhausen was born in Guben. His parents were the Prussian Lieutenant-General D...
, were buried in the cemetery, along with several high ranking members of the Freikorps
Freikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
. The body of Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
(the 'Red Baron') was transferred to the cemetery in 1925 from his original grave in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. During the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
, high-ranking military personnel such as Hans von Seeckt
Hans von Seeckt
Johannes Friedrich "Hans" von Seeckt was a German military officer noted for his organization of the German Army during the Weimar Republic.-Early life:...
continued to be buried in the cemetery, but approximately half the graves were gardened over in this period.
During the Nazi regime
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, a number of senior figures were buried in the Invalid's Cemetery, including former Army commander Werner von Fritsch
Werner von Fritsch
Werner Thomas Ludwig Freiherr von Fritsch was a prominent Wehrmacht officer, member of the German High Command, and the second German general to be killed during World War II.-Early life:...
, air ace Werner Mölders
Werner Mölders
Werner Mölders was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot and the leading German fighter ace in the Spanish Civil War. Mölders became the first pilot in aviation history to claim 100 aerial victories—that is, 100 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft, and was...
, Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
commander Ernst Udet
Ernst Udet
Colonel General Ernst Udet was the second-highest scoring German flying ace of World War I. He was one of the youngest aces and was the highest scoring German ace to survive the war . His 62 victories were second only to Manfred von Richthofen, his commander in the Flying Circus...
, Munitions Minister Fritz Todt
Fritz Todt
Fritz Todt was a German engineer and senior Nazi figure, the founder of Organisation Todt. He died in a plane crash during World War II.- Life :Todt was born in Pforzheim to a father who owned a small factory...
, Reichsprotector of Bohemia and Moravia Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
, Field Marshal Walter von Reichenau and General Rudolf Schmundt
Rudolf Schmundt
Rudolf Schmundt was an officer in the German Army during World War II.-Biography:Schmundt was born in Metz and served as a Lieutenant during the World War I...
, who was killed in the July 20 plot
July 20 Plot
On 20 July 1944, an attempt was made to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia. The plot was the culmination of the efforts of several groups in the German Resistance to overthrow the Nazi-led German government...
by the bomb intended for Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
ordered that all Nazi monuments (including those in cemeteries) should be removed, and this resulted in the removal of the grave-markers of Heydrich and Todt, although their remains were not disinterred.
In May 1951, the East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
city council closed the cemetery off to the public so that repairs and restoration could be carried out, and to prevent any further damage of the graves. Since it lay close to the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
, in the 1960s over a third of the cemetery was destroyed to make way for watch towers, troop barracks, roads and parking lots. The degradation of the cemetery continued in the 1970s, when soldiers stationed nearby began to use abandoned or damaged gravestones to build shelters in case of bad weather. It was probably only the fact that the cemetery contained the graves of German freedom fighters like Scharnhorst, regarded by the East German National People's Army
National People's Army
The National People’s Army were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic .The NVA was established in 1956 and disestablished in 1990. There were frequent reports of East German advisors with Communist African countries during the Cold War...
as its forerunners, that prevented its total destruction.
After German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
in 1990 the cemetery came under the monument protection scheme and restoration work began. There is now a memorial to Berliners killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall in the cemetery. The cemetery also contains an unmarked mass grave of Berliners killed in Allied air raids.
Notable Burials
In chronological order:- Hans Karl von WinterfeldtHans Karl von WinterfeldtHans Karl von Winterfeldt , Prussian general, was born at Vanselow Castle in Swedish Pomerania, he was Lord of several estates. His education was imperfect, and in later life he always regretted his want of familiarity with the French language...
- Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst
- Job von WitzlebenJob von WitzlebenKarl Ernst Job-Wilhelm von Witzleben was a Prussian Lieutenant General, Adjutant-General to the King and Minister of War....
- Friedrich Bogislav Emanuel Tauentzien von WittenbergBogislav Friedrich Emanuel von TauentzienBogislav Friedrich Emanuel Graf Tauentzien von Wittenberg was a Prussian general of the Napoleonic Wars....
- Friedrich von HolsteinFriedrich von HolsteinFriedrich August von Holstein was a statesman of the German Empire and served as the head of the political department of the German Foreign Office for more than thirty years.-Biography:...
- Karl Friedrich Friesen
- Hermann von BoyenHermann von BoyenLeopold Hermann Ludwig von Boyen was a Prussian army officer who helped to reform the Prussian Army in the early 19th century...
- August Hiller von Gaertringen
- Therese ElsslerTherese ElsslerTherese Elssler was a dancer.The sisters Therese and Fanny Elssler were both dancers, the former born in 1808, the latter in 1810, both in the Vienna suburb of Gumpendorf. They were daughters of Johann Florian Elssler, the personal scribe of Joseph Haydn. They received their first lessons at...
- Julius von Groß genannt Schwarzhoff
- Alfred von Schlieffen
- Karl von Schönberg
- Helmuth Johannes Ludwig von MoltkeHelmuth von Moltke the YoungerHelmuth Johann Ludwig von Moltke , also known as Moltke the Younger, was a nephew of Field Marshal Count Moltke and served as the Chief of the German General Staff from 1906 to 1914. The two are often differentiated as Moltke the Elder and Moltke the Younger...
- Moritz von BissingMoritz von BissingMoritz Ferdinand Freiherr von Bissing was a Prussian General der Kavallerie.-Early life:Bissing was born at Ober Bellmannsdorf in the Province of Silesia. In 1865 Bissing entered the Prussian Army and raised steadily through the ranks until he became major-general in 1894, lieutenant-general in...
- Hans Joachim BuddeckeHans Joachim BuddeckeHans-Joachim Buddecke was a German Flying Ace in World War I, credited with thirteen victories. He was the third, after Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke, to earn the Blue Max...
- Maximilian von Prittwitz und Gaffron
- Hermann von EichhornHermann von EichhornHermann von Eichhorn was a Prussian general.-Biography:Eichhorn was born in Breslau in the Province of Silesia...
- Olivier Freiherr von Beaulieu-MarconnayOlivier Freiherr von Beaulieu-MarconnayLeutnant Olivier Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay was a German World War I ace fighter pilot credited with 25 victories. He is notable for being World War I's youngest recipient of Germany's highest decoration for military valor, the Pour le Merite.-Early life and service:Olivier Freiherr von...
- Robert von Klüber
- Rudolf Berthold
- Hans Hartwig von Beseler
- Friedrich von Baudissin
- Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von RichthofenManfred von RichthofenManfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
- Max HoffmannMax HoffmannMax Hoffmann was a German officer and military strategist during World War I. He is widely regarded as one of the finest staff officers of the imperial period....
- Josias von HeeringenJosias von HeeringenJosias von Heeringen was a German general of the imperial era who saw service in the First World War.-Biography:Heeringen was born in Kassel in the Electorate of Hesse...
- Ludwig von Schröder
- Werner von Frankenberg zu Proschlitz
- Ludwig von FalkenhausenLudwig von FalkenhausenLudwig Freiherr von Falkenhausen was a German general most notable for his activities during World War I.- Biography :Falkenhausen was born in Guben. His parents were the Prussian Lieutenant-General D...
- Hans von SeecktHans von SeecktJohannes Friedrich "Hans" von Seeckt was a German military officer noted for his organization of the German Army during the Weimar Republic.-Early life:...
- Hans Maikowski
- Adolf Karl von Oven
- Rochus Schmidt
- Oskar von WatterOskar von WatterOskar Freiherr von Watter was a German Lieutenant General, and came from an old Pomeranian noble family....
- Werner von FritschWerner von FritschWerner Thomas Ludwig Freiherr von Fritsch was a prominent Wehrmacht officer, member of the German High Command, and the second German general to be killed during World War II.-Early life:...
- Wolff von StutterheimWolff von StutterheimWolff von Stutterheim was a German Generalmajor. He came from an old military family which produced several generals and seven Knights of the order Pour le Mérite...
- Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière
- Friedrich-Carl CranzFriedrich-Carl CranzFriedrich-Carl Cranz was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 18.Infanterie-Division. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or...
- Ernst UdetErnst UdetColonel General Ernst Udet was the second-highest scoring German flying ace of World War I. He was one of the youngest aces and was the highest scoring German ace to survive the war . His 62 victories were second only to Manfred von Richthofen, his commander in the Flying Circus...
- Werner MöldersWerner MöldersWerner Mölders was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot and the leading German fighter ace in the Spanish Civil War. Mölders became the first pilot in aviation history to claim 100 aerial victories—that is, 100 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft, and was...
- Walter von Reichenau
- Herbert Geitner
- Fritz TodtFritz TodtFritz Todt was a German engineer and senior Nazi figure, the founder of Organisation Todt. He died in a plane crash during World War II.- Life :Todt was born in Pforzheim to a father who owned a small factory...
- Reinhard HeydrichReinhard HeydrichReinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
- Curt HaaseCurt HaaseCurt Haase served in World War I and was a Colonel General in the German Wehrmacht during World War II.- Early Career :...
- Hermann von der Lieth-ThomsenHermann von der Lieth-ThomsenGeneral Hermann von der Lieth-Thomsen, born Hermann Thomsen, was a German military aviation pioneer, a senior air commander in the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I and a founding father of the German military aviation.-Early life and military career:Hermann Thomsen was born on...
- Carl August von Gablenz
- Hans FußHans FußHans Fuß was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Hans Fuss was credited with 71 victories in over 300 missions...
- Hans Valentin Hube
- Rudolf SchmundtRudolf SchmundtRudolf Schmundt was an officer in the German Army during World War II.-Biography:Schmundt was born in Metz and served as a Lieutenant during the World War I...
- Walter Marienfeld