Here stands a soldier in prayer. This statue is part of the 1. Weltkrieg War memorial. It stands over the burial site of soldiers from both Lubeck and Hamburg. They were killed in action in both world wars.
The Lubeck Memorial Cemetery is located on the outskirts of Lubeck. It is on Tavemunde Allee. This road leads to the Baltic Resort of Tavemunde. The cemetery occupies five acres of gently sloping wooded hills. Architect Harry Maanz designed it in 1914. He was a master in the art of gardening.
Buried here are soldiers and civilians. Sailors and aviators are here too. Distinguished citizens who died between 1914 and 1945 are also interred here. During this time, Germany fought two world wars. In 1947, two more Germans were buried here. They were members of Lubeck’s choral group. They died during an Allied bombing in 1942. The bombing caused considerable damage resulting in hundreds of casualties. Most buried in this cemetery are German soldiers. They came from the Lubeck and Hamburg area. There have been no more burials since 1947.
Both cities maintain the grounds. Eternal care has been pledged by law. Like Arlington National Cemetery in the United States, burial here has no barriers based on rank or wealth.
The 1. Weltkrieg War memorial includes a plot with German war graves from World War I. There is also a plot with graves of 320 victims of the bombing of Lubeck. This occurred on March 28 and 29, 1942.
Like almost all German cities, Lubeck was bombed by the Allies. The British, led by Arthur Harris, opened a new kind of offensive in the spring of 1942. They shifted tactics. Instead of strategic bombing of factories and military targets, they chose to destroy city centers. Lubeck and Rostock were the first cities to experience this new tactic. Harris deliberately chose Lubeck. The narrow streets inside the old city center would allow firebombs to do their work better.
The tactic was to blow the roofs off houses first. Explosions would make the houses open. Then incendiary bombs would be dropped to create an inferno. On March 29, 1942, 234 Wellingtons bombed the city. They dropped about 400 tons of bombs. More than 300 Germans lost their lives.
The 1. Weltkrieg War memorial also commemorates the firefighters of Lubeck. These firefighters were killed or went missing in World War I.
A granite block stands as part of the 1. Weltkrieg War memorial of the Sankt Marien-Gemeinde. It was inaugurated on Totensonntag in 1929. It commemorates those of the community who fell in the First World War. 48 designs were submitted for the memorial.
The memorial bears the inscription “Ihren Toten 1914 1918” on the front. After the Second World War, “1939 1945” was added. The back displays the Werkzeichen of St. Marien. The west side shows St. Jürgen slaying the dragon. The east side shows St. Michael slaying the dragon of discord. This granite block is the only war memorial for the fallen in a public place in Lubeck.
Today the 1. Weltkrieg War memorial stands as a testament to the past. It reminds us of the sacrifices made. It urges us to remember. It is a place for reflection and respect.