Four sandstone steles stand here. These are part of the Otto Linne Stele. This monument honors Otto Linne. He was Hamburg’s second garden and cemetery director. The Otto Linne Stele was erected in 2007. It marked the 70th anniversary of his death. It was unveiled on September 16, 2007.
The Otto Linne Stele is on the Ohlsdorf Cemetery. It stands at the transition of the Z-Canal to the T-Pond. It faces the Linne family grave.
The Friends of Ohlsdorf Cemetery initiated the monument in 2007. A two-phase design competition was held in 2006. Two first prizes were awarded. The winners were artist Andreas Oldörp. Also the Hamburg designers Jan Hoffmann, Sebastian Post, and Johannes Weisser won. They participated under tv-p.design. In early 2007, the association commissioned tv-p.design. They realized their design because of the lower costs.
The Otto Linne Stele lacks attributes. It has no symbols or allegories. These could create a glorified image of Linne’s work. Instead, four sandstone steles stand at the Z-Canal’s southern end. Their tectonic appearance relates to Otto Linne’s influence. It acts as a respectful reminder for the Ohlsdorf Cemetery. The sculpture interacts with the Linne family grave. It enhances the importance of Linne’s axis. His grave is at one end. The Otto Linne Stele is at the other. The monument generates a space for remembrance.
This memorial space has a similar function. It is like the rose garden with Wilhelm Cordes’ monument. Cordes was also a cemetery director. The Cordes section shows the planner’s formal preferences. Sweeping paths and accented views display the cemetery as a landscape park. The rose garden has many of these aspects. Paths run along circular rose beds. They culminate on a small rise. Fritz Schumacher designed the monument for Wilhelm Cordes. An arch with his bust emphasizes the park. The rose garden shows a representative section of Cordes’ cemetery planning. The Otto Linne Stele creates a memorial site. It is similar to the rose garden. Planning aspects serve as a model. They create a kind of monument typology for the Ohlsdorf Cemetery.
This typology highlights the work of the cemetery planners. It also points out the equal importance of Cordes and Linne. The arch motif lets visitors recognize the planners’ premises. The four sandstone steles recall the arch for Cordes. But here, they have an abstract form. They are subordinate to Otto Linne’s design. The space between the steles opens the view. It shows Linne’s grave. This view resembles the bust in Fritz Schumacher’s building. It references the axis of the canal. Linne chose this place as his final resting place. This underlines his understanding of spatial arrangement. He practiced this in the Ohlsdorf Cemetery. The monument underlines this planning concept. It keeps a respectful distance from his grave. A direct link of monument and grave would not be in Linne’s interest. He promoted standardization of tombstones. The reduced form of the four sandstone steles quotes the orthogonal structure. Linne shaped this. They contrast with the trees and bushes. This highlights the special character. A fifth stele lies on the other side of the path. It serves as a seat. It quotes the arch. However, it was removed from the steles. Now it serves as park furniture. Visitors can sit here and enjoy the view.
The Otto Linne Stele is made of Obernkirchen sandstone.