Once a royal shooting range now a place of peace. This is the Dornhaldenfriedhof in Stuttgart. This cemetery offers a serene contrast to its past. It is a place where history and tranquility meet.
The Dornhaldenfriedhof was established in 1974. It sits on the former shooting range Dornhalde. This range belonged to the Royal Garrison of Stuttgart. The site once featured nine 400-meter shooting lanes. Today the Dornhaldenfriedhof is a nine-hectare woodland cemetery. It lies opposite Stuttgart’s Waldfriedhof.
As you walk through the Dornhaldenfriedhof look closely. You can still find traces of its shooting range days. A forest section nearby is named “Schießbahn 10/4”. The “Schießbahnweg” forest path leads to Dornhaldenweg. This path guides you to the cemetery.
Notice the long embankments within the Dornhaldenfriedhof. These earthen walls once separated the shooting lanes. One shortened wall stands near the cemetery halls. Another original-length wall stretches from the Schützenhaus to the cemetery’s end.
At the Dornhaldenfriedhof’s northern edge stands the Garnisonsschützenhaus. Built in 1880 and 1893 this building once housed a canteen. It also had a disc workshop for the shooting range. The city of Stuttgart owns this listed building. It has stood empty since 2009.
The Dornhaldenfriedhof gained notoriety in 1977. It became the burial site for RAF terrorists Andreas Baader Gudrun Ensslin and Jan-Carl Raspe. Mayor Manfred Rommel allowed their burial here. This decision sparked public outcry. The three were buried together in the southwest area. The wooden coffins arrived shortly before the burial. The authorities did not reveal which coffin held which body. Horst Ludwig Meyer a suspected RAF member was also buried here in 1999.
Philosopher Max Bense rests here. Writer Margarete Hannsmann also calls this place her last. Likewise Peter O Chotjewitz writer, found his final peace at the Dornhaldenfriedhof.
The Dornhaldenfriedhof invites reflection amidst nature. As we leave consider the layers of history beneath our feet. From royal shooting grounds to a final resting place the Dornhaldenfriedhof embodies transformation. It reminds us that even in death stories continue.