Lost in thought, I wonder about the stories these weathered stones could tell at Alter Annenfriedhof. This is not just any cemetery. The Alter Annenfriedhof is a serene sanctuary. It is steeped in Dresden’s rich history.
Welcome to the Alter Annenfriedhof. It is the oldest existing Annenfriedhof in Dresden. This historic ground spans 3.9 hectares. It holds around 2320 grave sites. Imagine the lives and histories intertwined here.
The Alter Annenfriedhof has a rich history. The first Annenfriedhof was established in 1578 around the Annenkirche. It was known as Annenkirchhof. It served its purpose until the late 18th century. By 1828, it closed. A second Annenfriedhof opened in 1712. It was near the Annenkirche at today’s Sternplatz. It featured artistically valuable graves. It became a repository for gravestones. These stones came from the Frauenkirchhof. This site had been secularized by 1727. Sharfrichters from Dresden were also buried here. In 1854, the second Annenfriedhof closed. It was due to lack of space. It was secularized by 1914. Gravestones from that second location found new life. They were placed near the entrance of this, the Alter Annenfriedhof.
The Alter Annenfriedhof faced opposition during its creation. Construction began in 1847. It was on a site near Hahneberg. Locals tried to block the cemetery. Popular spots like Starckes Garten were nearby. They preferred other options. Options such as using Trinitatisfriedhof were considered. Expanding Annenkirchhof was also an option. These were rejected. The Alter Annenfriedhof was consecrated. That happened on Chemnitzer Stra\u00dfe on June 2, 1848. The first burial occurred that same day. Christian Gottlieb Spie\u00df designed the Alter Annenfriedhof. It mirrored Trinitatisfriedhof with a four-field layout. People beyond the Annengemeinde chose it as their final resting place.
Expansion came in 1863. Johann Friedrich Eichberg designed the new entrance. Buildings like the mortuary and chapel were added. The Annengemeinde soon outgrew even this expanded Alter Annenfriedhof. Further expansion proved impossible. The Neue Annenfriedhof opened in 1875. It became the latest Annenfriedhof for the community.
World War II took a heavy toll. The bombing of Dresden in February 1945 caused widespread destruction. The chapel and mortuary suffered bomb damage in April 1945. Parts of the enclosing wall and the gravedigger’s house were badly damaged. Restoration work followed in later years. A statue of Electress Anna found a new home here. It had stood at the memorial fountain near Annenkirche. It was moved to the front of the Alter Annenfriedhof’s Feierhalle after 1945. The chapel was rebuilt in 2009. The statue was removed in 2010. In 2011, it was returned to a spot near the Annenkirche.
Several memorials mark significant events here. An obelisk commemorates 53 victims of the 1849 Dresden May Uprising. Another obelisk stands in a field. It contains remains of over 800 air raid victims. 592 are unknown. The inscription includes lines used by Kantor Rudolf Mauersberger. He used the lines in his motet about the destruction of Dresden. Many graves of professors were lost in the bombings. These professors had taught at the nearby TH Dresden. From 1979 to 1983, the Technical University of Dresden transformed the ruined Hettner family plot. Hermann Hettner rests here. It became a memorial site for eight more professors. Their graves had been destroyed. Georg Helm and Gustav Zeuner were included. Their joint family plot remained intact. A bust of Hettner by Ernst Julius H\u00e4hnel adorns the site. A medallion shows Hettner’s first wife. Ernst Rietschel created it.
Many notable figures are buried at Alter Annenfriedhof. Painter Johann Karl Ulrich B\u00e4hr rests here. Goethe scholar Woldemar von Biedermann is also buried here. Minna Wagner, Richard Wagner’s first wife, found her final resting place here. Painter Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld also rests here. These are but a few among many.
Standing here we are surrounded by history. The Alter Annenfriedhof serves as a green space. It stands as a testament to Dresden’s past. It is a peaceful place of remembrance.