A large city like Berlin has countless cemeteries of every size and for almost every religious community. There are said to be more than 200 cemeteries in Berlin.
Some of the cemeteries are very important culturally and historically. You can find graves of famous personalities there and there are also impressive tombs. They tell a lot about the history of the city.
What distinguishes Berlin from other cities is that there is no such thing as “the” cemetery. If you look at Vienna, Milan, Prague or Paris, for example, you will find large cemeteries where most residents are buried. In Berlin there are many smaller cemeteries, all of which are very different. From the small hidden cemetery in the forest to the very old cemetery in the middle of the city, from the military cemetery with its memorial to the Jewish cemetery, each shows a piece of Berlin’s cemetery culture and each is unique in itself.
Discover cemeteries in Berlin
We have taken a look around Berlin’s cemeteries and would like to introduce them and their history.
In Berlin Tegel between the constantly rushing highway and industrial enterprises lies Berlin's only civil Russian Orthodox cemetery. The cemetery is owned by the Brotherhood of St. Prince Vladimir.
On Königin-Elisabeth-Straße in the Westend district of Charlottenburg, a small terraced cemetery lies between the city motorway and some houses. A detour to Luisenfriedhof II is worthwhile if you want to get an insight into Berlin's burial culture.
The Heerstrasse Cemetery is located directly next to the Berlin Olympic Stadium on Trakehner Allee. Here in the district of Westend is the final resting place of numerous well-known personalities.
The Fürstenbrunner Weg cemetery is located in the Westend district of Berlin. It is two cemeteries that are connected with each other: Luisenfriedhof III and Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Cemetery.
In the Klosterstraße in Berlin Mitte stands the oldest church of the reformed community of Berlin. The Parochial Church has not only an interesting nave, but also a churchyard and a crypt that should not be missed.
A total of 6 Berlin cemeteries are located on the contiguous area of the cemeteries in front of Hallesches Tor between Mehringdamm and Zossener Straße in Berlin-Kreuzberg.
The Soviet Memorial in Schönholzer Heide is rather unknown, but I find it no less impressive than the memorials in Treptow and at the Brandenburg Gate.A tip brought the memorial to my attention, so we went to Pankow to discover it.
Nestled between houses in Berlin-Mitte is an enchanted place that only reveals its history when you take a closer look. This is the site of the Old Jewish Cemetery.
A rather unknown cemetery lies on the eastern shore of Plötzensee. Rather by chance, I passed the Plötzensee cemetery in Wedding on a bicycle tour and decided to walk through the park-like grounds.
Our tour through Berlin led us to the Soviet Memorial in the Tiergarten, which is located directly on the Straße des 17.Juni, less than 300 meters from the Reichstag.
I love to discover Berlin. Unfortunately, one often takes far too little time for his hometown and in addition Berlin is not exactly small. Since you are often with the public transport, especially from my home district Spandau, quickly times an hour on the road until you reach the desired destination. The Treptower Park is…