Südfriedhof (Leipzig)
Encyclopedia
Südfriedhof is, with an area of 82 hectares, the largest cemetery in Leipzig
. It is located in the south of Leipzig in the immediate vicinity of the Völkerschlachtdenkmal
. The Südfriedhof is besides the Ohlsdorf Cemetery
in Hamburg
and the Südwestkirchfriedhof Stahnsdorf in Berlin
the largest park-like cemetery in Germany.
name of Leipzig
"The Town of the Linden
", and fulfil the aims of Art Nouveau
as a Gesamtkunstwerk
.
With the rapid development of the city during the industrialisation, incorporation of nearby settlements and the consequent steady population growth a new cemetery was needed. At the 1 June 1886 the Südfriedhof was opened by Mayor Otto Robert Georgi after the Nordfriedhof (North Cemetery) was opened in 1881. Shortly after, the first burial was made and the grave is still preserved in the I. Division. However, this burial ground was very unpopular at first. The citizen of Leipzig chose to be buried at the Neuer Johannisfriedhof (New St. John's Cemetery). This changed when this began to fill up and the trees on the Südfriedhof became greater and the proposed park character was recognisable.
Visitors to the nearby Völkerschlachtdenkmal
notices at first the chapel with its 60 meter high bell tower, which was opened in 1910. The Neo-Romanesque
building ensemble,was built on a filled up plateau and under the direction of Leipzig's building director Otto Wilhelm Scharenberg. It had the Romanesque Maria Laach Abbey
in the Eifel
region as a model and is the largest cemetery monument in Germany. The symmetrical complex of chapel facilities, crematorium and columbarium
blends inconspicuously into the overall picture and is justified to the main north-south axis of the cemetery. Until 1924 the cemetery was enlarged to 63 hectares. During World War II the most recent cemetery extension was made to the present area of 82 hectares. They buried the 3474 victims of the bombing of Leipzig in today's XXVIII. Division.
Particularly noteworthy are the historical monuments, some of which were by artists such as Max Klinger, Fritz Behn, Max Lange or Carl Seffner created in various styles.
, Metasequoia
, Kentucky coffeetree
, ginkgo and several kinds of Tilia
. Furthermore you can find about 9,000 Rhododendron
s, which are up to four meters high. At the cemetery 60 nesting bird species are listed. There are lots of red squirrel
and in the quiet morning and evening hours rabbits or foxes can be seen.
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
. It is located in the south of Leipzig in the immediate vicinity of the Völkerschlachtdenkmal
Völkerschlachtdenkmal
The Monument to the Battle of the Nations is a monument in Leipzig, Germany to the 1813 Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations...
. The Südfriedhof is besides the Ohlsdorf Cemetery
Ohlsdorf Cemetery
-External links:* *...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and the Südwestkirchfriedhof Stahnsdorf 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...
the largest park-like cemetery in Germany.
History
The plans for the cemetery began in 1879. Initially it was created on an area of 54 hectares. The responsibility for this were the horticultural director of Leipzig Otto Wittenberg and the architect Hugh Licht. The conduct of ways is form of a linden leaf, which reflects the SlavicSlavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
name of Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
"The Town of the Linden
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
", and fulfil the aims of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
as a Gesamtkunstwerk
Gesamtkunstwerk
A Gesamtkunstwerk is a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms or strives to do so...
.
With the rapid development of the city during the industrialisation, incorporation of nearby settlements and the consequent steady population growth a new cemetery was needed. At the 1 June 1886 the Südfriedhof was opened by Mayor Otto Robert Georgi after the Nordfriedhof (North Cemetery) was opened in 1881. Shortly after, the first burial was made and the grave is still preserved in the I. Division. However, this burial ground was very unpopular at first. The citizen of Leipzig chose to be buried at the Neuer Johannisfriedhof (New St. John's Cemetery). This changed when this began to fill up and the trees on the Südfriedhof became greater and the proposed park character was recognisable.
Visitors to the nearby Völkerschlachtdenkmal
Völkerschlachtdenkmal
The Monument to the Battle of the Nations is a monument in Leipzig, Germany to the 1813 Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations...
notices at first the chapel with its 60 meter high bell tower, which was opened in 1910. The Neo-Romanesque
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
building ensemble,was built on a filled up plateau and under the direction of Leipzig's building director Otto Wilhelm Scharenberg. It had the Romanesque Maria Laach Abbey
Maria Laach Abbey
Maria Laach Abbey is a Benedictine abbey situated on the southwestern shore of the Laacher See , near Andernach, in the Eifel region of the Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. It is a member of the Beuronese Congregation within the Benedictine Confederation...
in the Eifel
Eifel
The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium....
region as a model and is the largest cemetery monument in Germany. The symmetrical complex of chapel facilities, crematorium and columbarium
Columbarium
A columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns . The term comes from the Latin columba and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons .The Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas is a particularly fine ancient Roman example, rich in...
blends inconspicuously into the overall picture and is justified to the main north-south axis of the cemetery. Until 1924 the cemetery was enlarged to 63 hectares. During World War II the most recent cemetery extension was made to the present area of 82 hectares. They buried the 3474 victims of the bombing of Leipzig in today's XXVIII. Division.
Particularly noteworthy are the historical monuments, some of which were by artists such as Max Klinger, Fritz Behn, Max Lange or Carl Seffner created in various styles.
Flora and fauna
Due to the park-like character of the cemetery you find several kinds of trees, such as sweetgum, MahoniaMahonia
Mahonia is a genus of about 70 species of evergreen shrubs in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern Asia, the Himalaya, North America and Central America. They are closely related to the genus Berberis. Botanists disagree on the acceptability of the genus name Mahonia...
, Metasequoia
Metasequoia
Metasequoia is a fast-growing, deciduous tree, and the sole living species, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, is one of three species of conifers known as redwoods. It is native to the Sichuan-Hubei region of China. Although the least tall of the redwoods, it grows to at least 200 feet in height...
, Kentucky coffeetree
Kentucky coffeetree
The Kentucky Coffeetree, Gymnocladus dioicus, is a tree in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to the midwest of North America.-Introduction:...
, ginkgo and several kinds of Tilia
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
. Furthermore you can find about 9,000 Rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s, which are up to four meters high. At the cemetery 60 nesting bird species are listed. There are lots of red squirrel
Red Squirrel
The red squirrel or Eurasian red squirrel is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus common throughout Eurasia...
and in the quiet morning and evening hours rabbits or foxes can be seen.
Notable Persons
- Albrecht Alt, theologian
- Fritz Baedeker, publisher
- Julius BlüthnerJulius BlüthnerJulius Ferdinand Blüthner was a German piano maker and founder of the Blüthner piano factory....
, piano maker, entrepreneur - Max Bürger, medical doctor
- Franz DelitzschFranz DelitzschFranz Delitzsch was a German Lutheran theologian and Hebraist. Born in Leipzig, he held the professorship of theology at the University of Rostock from 1846 to 1850, at the University of Erlangen until 1867, and after that at the University of Leipzig until his death...
, theologian and Hebraist - Fred DelmareFred DelmareFred Delmare was a German actor.He was born in Hüttensteinach. He appeared in several films and television series, last in 70 episodes of In aller Freundschaft between 1998 and 2006. He died in May, 1 2009....
, actor - Paul FlechsigPaul FlechsigPaul Emil Flechsig was a German neuroanatomist, psychiatrist and neuropathologist. He is mainly remembered today for his research of myelinogenesis.-Biography:...
, neuroanatomist, psychiatrist and neuropathologist - Christian Fürchtegott GellertChristian Fürchtegott GellertChristian Fürchtegott Gellert was a German poet, one of the forerunners of the golden age of German literature that was ushered in by Lessing.-Biography:...
, poet - Samuel HeinickeSamuel HeinickeSamuel Heinicke , the originator in Germany of systematic education for the deaf, was born in Nautschutz, Germany....
, originator in Germany of systematic education for the deaf - Arthur Hoffmann, politician and resistance fighter
- Sigfrid Karg-ElertSigfrid Karg-ElertSigfrid Karg-Elert was a German composer of considerable fame in the early twentieth century, best known for his compositions for organ and harmonium.-Biography:...
, composer - Alfred Kästner, politician and resistance fighter
- Oskar KellnerOskar KellnerOskar Johann Kellner was a German agricultural scientist .-Biography:...
, agricultural scientist, chemist, animal psychologist - Rudolf KittelRudolf KittelRudolf Kittel was a German Old Testament scholar.Kittel studied at Tübingen University. He became Professor of Old Testament at Breslau and Leipzig...
, theologist and editor of the Biblia HebraicaBiblia HebraicaBiblia Hebraica is a Latin phrase meaning Hebrew Bible. It is traditionally used as a title for printed editions of the Tanakh .... - Hugo LichtHugo LichtHugo Georg Licht was a German architect.- Life :...
, architect of numerous buildings in LeipzigLeipzigLeipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing... - Julius Lips, ethnologist
- Hans MeyerHans Meyer (geologist)Hans Heinrich Josef Meyer was a German geographer from Hildburghausen, who was the son of publisher Herrmann Julius Meyer . Hans Meyer is credited with being the first European to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro 5,895 m...
, geographer and first man on Kilimandscharo - Herrmann Julius MeyerHerrmann Julius MeyerHerrmann Julius Meyer was a German publisher born in Gotha. He was the son of publisher Joseph Meyer ....
, publisher - Erwin PayrErwin PayrErwin Payr was an Austrian-German surgeon born in Innsbruck.Following graduation in 1894 at Innsbruck, he worked as an assistant at the first pathological anatomy institute in Vienna...
, surgeon - Max RobitzschMax RobitzschMax Robitzsch was a German meteorological scientist and university professor. He invented the 'Robitzsch Actinograph', a type of pyranometer and wrote numerous scientific books and articles. He also undertook an expedition into the Scandinavian arctic to research atmospheric phenomena, spending...
, meteorological scientist and arctic researcher - Carl Seffner, sculptor, (e.g. Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
monument in front of thomaskirche) - Georg Schumann, politician and resistance fighter
- Karl SudhoffKarl SudhoffKarl Sudhoff was a German historian of medicine, important in establishing that field as a legitimate discipline for research and teaching within faculties of medicine....
, historian on medicine - Georg Thieme, publisher and founder of Thieme Medical PublishersThieme Medical PublishersThieme Medical Publishers is a German medical and science publisher in the Thieme Publishing Group. It produces professional journals, textbooks, atlases, monographs and reference books in both German and English covering a variety of medical specialties, including neurosurgery, orthopaedics,...
- Werner TübkeWerner TübkeWerner Tübke was a German painter, best known for his monumental Peasants' War Panorama located in Bad Frankenhausen.-Early Bourgeois Revolution in Germany:...
, painter - Marinus van der LubbeMarinus van der LubbeMarinus van der Lubbe was a Dutch council communist convicted of, and controversially executed for, setting fire to the German Reichstag building on February 27, 1933, an event known as the Reichstag fire. ....
, Dutch council communist accused of, and eventually executed for, setting fire to the German Reichstag building on February 27, 1933, an event known as the Reichstag fire. - Wilhelm WundtWilhelm WundtWilhelm Maximilian Wundt was a German physician, psychologist, physiologist, philosopher, and professor, known today as one of the founding figures of modern psychology. He is widely regarded as the "father of experimental psychology"...
,medical doctor, psychologist, physiologist, philosopher, known today as one of the founding figures of modern psychology - Erich ZeignerErich ZeignerErich Zeigner was Prime Minister of the German state of Saxony during the attempted communist uprising of 1923...
, politician