How many silent stories do you think this park holds? This is the Alter Friedhof Bockenheim. It is now a peaceful park in Frankfurt am Main. But it was once Bockenheim’s main cemetery.
Let’s step back in time. Bockenheim was a town. It became part of Frankfurt in 1895. The Alter Friedhof Bockenheim served the town. It was a burial site from 1825 to 1898. Now, Frankfurt manages it as a park.
The Alter Friedhof Bockenheim sits in western Bockenheim. It is near the City West area. The park has been made smaller two times. It now borders Solmsstrasse. There are entrances on Pfingstbrunnenstrasse and Ohmstrasse.
Imagine this place long ago. It was the early 1820s. The church cemetery was full. A new space was needed. So, the Alter Friedhof Bockenheim was created. It was designed by Sebastian Rinz. He was Frankfurt’s city gardener.
But the land had a past. It was a Schindanger. People buried dead animals here. Locals did not want to be buried there. That changed when Johann Conrad Rohmer chose it. He was a rich merchant. He wanted his family buried here. He was buried here in 1825. More people followed.
In 1853, a basalt wall was built. It enclosed the Alter Friedhof Bockenheim. Many important people found their final resting place here. There was Friedrich Wilhelm Delkeskamp. He was an engraver and painter. Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand Guhr was here. He led the Frankfurt State Theater. Anton Schindler was also buried here. He wrote about Beethoven’s life.
A war memorial was built in 1875. It honored soldiers from Bockenheim. They died in the Franco-Prussian War.
The Alter Friedhof Bockenheim closed in 1898. A new cemetery opened. It was called Neuer Friedhof Bockenheim. The city took over the Alter Friedhof Bockenheim in 1905. They turned it into a park in 1916.
The Alter Friedhof Bockenheim was reduced in size between 1908 and 1910. Solmsstrasse and Ohmstrasse were widened. This reduced the cemetery size. Then, in 1950/1951, it was reduced again. The Trinity Church was built on part of it. Now, it is a Greek Orthodox church. A playground was also added.
Today, the Alter Friedhof Bockenheim is a park. The old gravestones remain. They stand near the edges. Some stones are hard to find. Plants cover them.
The city renovated the park in 2012. In 2013, a sign was added. It tells the park’s history. It lists the people buried here.
When you walk through the Alter Friedhof Bockenheim remember its past. This quiet park was once a vibrant burial ground. It holds the stories of Bockenheim’s people. It is a green space with a rich history.