Can you imagine walking through a forest that is also a final resting place? That is the Waldfriedhof Grünau. This unique cemetery offers a blend of natural beauty and somber reflection.
Waldfriedhof Grünau is located in the Grünau district of Berlin. It provides a peaceful sanctuary. Established in 1920 and 1921, it covers 27,800 square meters.
Let me tell you about its history. In 1749, colonists founded Grünau. Before 1906, Grünau lacked its own church. The deceased were buried in Bohnsdorf. An initial Grünau cemetery emerged in the mid-18th century. It was near Friedrichstraße. This cemetery closed in 1874 due to development.
Another cemetery opened north of Wassersportallee. This was near the Friedenskirche. It closed for new burials in 1922. In the 1960s, this cemetery was leveled. Today, a park and playground stand there.
In 1920, Grünau decided to create a new cemetery. It was amidst the forest near Alter Postweg. This is now Rabindranath-Tagore-Straße. Clearing the land changed the forest’s composition. The Waldfriedhof Grünau’s trees differ from the surrounding woods.
The Waldfriedhof Grünau features a central avenue lined with linden trees. A long wall runs alongside the first part of this avenue. Here lie those who fell in World War I. A war memorial made of boulders honors Grünau’s fallen from 1914 to 1918. Small memorials for World War II victims are on the outer edges. Some bear unknown names.
In 1921, a hall and two gatehouses were built. The first burial occurred on October 18, 1921. A bomb destroyed the hall in 1945. The eastern gatehouse became a temporary hall. A new building was planned but never built during the DDR era.
In 1961, the street was renamed Rabindranath-Tagore-Straße. This honored the Indian poet. Professor Walter Ruben, an Indologist, initiated this. He lived nearby and is buried in Waldfriedhof Grünau.
To build a runway at Schönefeld Airport, the Bohnsdorf cemetery closed. Waldfriedhof Grünau expanded southward by 3,000 square meters. Most of the Bohnsdorf dead were reburied here.
In 2005, the original gatehouses were torn down. A new multi-purpose building with a hall was built.
Many notable figures rest in Waldfriedhof Grünau. These include Gerhard Beil, Lore Börner and Friedrich Dickel. Also Gerd Ehlers, Heinz Fischer and Karl Grünberg are buried here. Wolfgang Heyl, Hans-Joachim Hoffmann, and Wolfgang Junker rest here too. Fritz Kühn, Horst Kunze, Arno Langenbach are also buried here. Helmuth Lichey, Fritz Ohse and Adolf Otto rest here. Heinz Quermann, Walter Ruben and Horst Sölle are here. Otfried Steger, Reinhard Uhlig, Karl-Heinz Wagner, and Helmut Wunderlich are buried in the Waldfriedhof Grünau.
The Waldfriedhof Grünau offers a place for reflection. It reminds us of history and the cycle of life. It stands as a green and peaceful space.