Alter Friedhof

Established in 1796, Alter Friedhof in Potsdam holds centuries of stories. It replaced an older cemetery near the Nauener Tor. This former cemetery, only three hectares large, proved insufficient. The high water table also led to shallow burials. Unpleasant odors became a problem, especially in summer. King Friedrich Wilhelm II decreed the old cemetery’s closure. He ordered the creation of Alter Friedhof. The new cemetery provided higher ground and more space, ten hectares in total. Its first burial, the son of a soap maker, took place on April 26, 1796. Initially, the city’s poor administration managed the cemetery. Several gravediggers competed for business. Hereditary burial plots were leased directly by the administration. Unoccupied areas were even used to grow potatoes for the poorhouse. Fruit trees lined the paths, and mulberry trees for silkworm cultivation dotted the landscape. This mixed usage resulted in a chaotic layout. The appointment of a cemetery inspector in 1846 brought much-needed order. Paths were laid, grave fields defined, and burial depths and rest periods established. Linden alleys and walkways beautified the cemetery grounds. The Alter Friedhof’s chapel, funded by merchant August Friedrich Eisenhart, opened in 1851. Designed by Ferdinand von Arnim, it features a mosaic floor and a gable relief by Wilhelm Koch. Monuments within the Alter Friedhof commemorate key figures and events. A monument honors the soldiers of 1813. Around 2000 soldiers died in Potsdam’s hospitals from injuries sustained in battles like Großbeeren, Dennewitz, and Leipzig. Another monument remembers Eleonore Prochaska. Known as the “Heroine of Lützow,” she died fighting against Napoleon. The Alter Friedhof also houses the graves of prominent individuals like Ernst von Bergmann, a pioneer of brain surgery, and Johann Joachim Quantz, flute teacher to Frederick II. The Second World War heavily damaged the cemetery. Bombing raids destroyed many graves and trees. The chapel suffered significant damage. The cemetery closed for burials after the war. The chapel served as the cemetery administration’s office. Park-like renovations in the 1980s saw the extensive planting of trees over grave fields. Urn burials resumed in 1987. The chapel, fully restored by 2017, now hosts funeral services again, its mosaic floor and ornate ceiling a testament to its rich past.