Imagine Dresden in 1680. Pest ravaged the city. More than 5000 people died within months. Existing graveyards were overflowing. Fear of contagion gripped the population.
To address this crisis, Elector Johann Georg II established a cemetery outside the city. This was the Eliasfriedhof. It served as a plague cemetery. The costs were covered by the Gotteskasten. This was a collection box for charitable donations.
Initially, the Eliasfriedhof was a simple plot of land. It lacked walls or a chapel. It became a final resting place for the poor, outsiders, and executed individuals. Wealthier citizens preferred burial in other churchyards.
However, in 1721, things changed. The Johanniskirchhof was expanded for the last time. The Frauenkirchhof closed. It was to be replaced by the new Frauenkirche. The Eliasfriedhof was chosen as the burial site for the higher social classes. The graveyard expanded. A network of paths was added. A wall enclosed the space. George Bähr and Johann Gottfried Fehre oversaw the redesign.
Valentin Ernst Löscher secured burial rights for the Eliasfriedhof. Bähr built tomb structures with arch fronts along the cemetery wall. A total of 41 tomb houses arose on the west and north walls. Open tombs were added to the east and south walls. These closed tomb houses were a novelty in Dresden. Each had an elaborate wrought-iron gate. Epitaphs adorned the space above ground. Burials took place in vaults below. These tomb houses became highly sought after. They could even be sold as private property.
Over time, the Eliasfriedhof became the preferred burial site for nobility and wealthy citizens. It was then known as the New Kirchhof. The name Elias-Kirchhof emerged. It was named after the prophet Elijah. He could raise the dead.
As the Eliasfriedhof filled up, the Trinitatisfriedhof was established in 1815. By the mid-19th century, it hosted ten times more burials than the Eliasfriedhof. Space was limited at the Eliasfriedhof.
In 1864, city officials decided to close the Eliasfriedhof. Concerns arose about hygiene as residential buildings grew closer. The final burial took place on June 21, 1876.
Neglect followed. The tomb houses deteriorated. Ivy spread. It covered graves and damaged sandstone. However, the Eliasfriedhof also inspired artists. Max Pechstein painted Eliasfriedhof in Dresden in 1906.
In 1907, a footpath cut through the Eliasfriedhof. This divided the area. The Landesverein Sächsischer Heimatschutz lamented the intrusion. By 1924, the passage was closed. Vandalism increased. The cemetery was officially secularized on July 18, 1928.
During the bombing of Dresden in 1945, the remaining tomb houses were destroyed. A narrow strip of the eastern part of the cemetery was ceded for the expansion of Güntzplatz in 1948. The Eliasfriedhof continued to decay. Maple trees grew unchecked.
In 1998, the Förderverein Eliasfriedhof Dresden e. V. was founded. The association works to preserve the cemetery. The area was cleared. Gravestones were secured. In 1999, limited public access was restored. Twelve George Bähr tomb houses on the north wall were restored between 1999 and 2002. Four more tomb houses were rebuilt in 2016.
Today, the Eliasfriedhof stands as a testament to Dresden’s history. It holds around 1800 diverse gravestones of Elbe sandstone. The Förderverein Eliasfriedhof Dresden e.V. offers tours.