Kriegsopferdenkmal

Amidst the serene Hauptfriedhof in Frankfurt, stands the poignant Kriegsopferdenkmal. This war memorial, a solemn reminder of lives lost, holds within its stone embrace the echoes of two world wars. The Kriegsopferdenkmal was originally dedicated in November 1928 to those from Frankfurt who fell, went missing, or later perished as a result of World War I. Architect Hermann Senf designed the memorial as an open-topped rotunda. A moat of dark basalt stone encircles it. Inside lies a sculpture of a fallen soldier. This was designed by Paul Seiler. Inscribed on the interior walls are dedications to the regiments that participated in the war. The memorial forms a central part of the war cemetery. Originally, 1,625 German soldiers and 41 Russian and Serbian prisoners of war were buried here, marked by black crosses. Many died in the 122 military hospitals that existed in Frankfurt during World War I. After World War II, the Kriegsopferdenkmal site expanded. It then included 3,109 German soldiers and civilian victims of the bombing raids on Frankfurt. They are marked by red sandstone crosses. Nearby lie 895 individual graves of foreign forced laborers and prisoners of war. There are also 545 German and 113 Polish victims of the Nazi regime. A communal grave holds the remains of 528 concentration camp prisoners. This includes the urns of 355 victims of the Nazi euthanasia program, most of whom were murdered at the Hadamar psychiatric hospital. The Kriegsopferdenkmal stands as a testament to their suffering. The inscription on the front reads, “To the victims 1914-1918 1939-1945”. On the rear, it acknowledges the architect: “H. Senf Architect 1928”. Inside, the inscription reads, “The City of Frankfurt am Main to its fallen sons”. It lists several infantry and artillery regiments and includes a dedication to the victims of the bombing war. The Kriegsopferdenkmal within the larger Hauptfriedhof provides a space for remembrance and reflection. It invites us to contemplate the devastating impact of war.