Ohlsdorf Cemetery

Hamburg, Germany

Ohlsdorf Cemetery is the fourth-largest cemetery in the world. Most of the people buried at the cemetery are civilians, but there is also a large number of victims of war from various nations. It was established in 1877 as a non-denominational and multi-regional burial site outside of Hamburg. The cemetery has an area of 391 hectares (966 acres) with 12 chapels, over 1.5 million burials in more than 280,000 burial sites and streets with a length of 17 km.

During World War I over 400 Allied prisoners-of-war who died in German captivity were buried here in, as well as sailors whose bodies had been washed ashore the Frisian Islands. In 1923 the remains of British Commonwealth servicemen from 120 burial grounds in north-western Germany were brought to Hamburg. Further dead Commonwealth soldiers of World War II and of the post war period were buried here too.

There are six memorial sites for the victims of the Nazi era. The remains of some 38,000 victims of Operation Gomorrha, the bombing campaign that took place from July 24 to August 3, 1943, lie in a cross-shaped, landscaped mass grave.

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Address

Kapellenstraße, Hamburg, Germany
See all sites in Hamburg

Details

Founded: 1877
Category: Cemeteries, mausoleums and burial places in Germany
Historical period: German Empire (Germany)

More Information

www.friedhof-hamburg.de
en.wikipedia.org
www.hamburg-travel.com

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Hamburg Cathedral (7,6 km)
Wellingsbüttel Manor (2,7 km)


Hamburg Town Hall (8,9 km)
St. Michael's Church (9,5 km)
St. James' Church (8,6 km)
St. Nicholas' Church (9,2 km)
Internationales Maritimes Museum (9,4 km)
St. Peter's Church (8,7 km)
Kunsthalle Hamburg (8,1 km)
Chilehaus (8,8 km)
St. Catherine's Church (9,2 km)

User Reviews

Pete Gurney (21 months ago)
A wonderful oasis of calm and the war graves section is very thought provoking and well looked after
William (2 years ago)
One of the most beautiful funeral sites I have ever visited.
Nicole Skywalker (2 years ago)
Biggest cementary over the world
Jordan Friedlander (3 years ago)
It's simply the largest and prettiest cemetery I've ever seen. There are walkways and hidden paths around rivers and family plots behind trees, statues of angels and who-knows-what everywhere. The crematorium looks imposing and the museum beautiful. If you like cemeteries this is the creme-de-la-creme. The groundskeepers have their hands full with all the plants and trees and leaves for sure. Keep in mind it closes at 4 and the museum is only open 3 days a week if you care to see that too. The signs are all German too
Sebastian Kluth (3 years ago)
Ohlsdorf Cemetery looks more like a park than a graveyard. You can walk through little forests and meadows for hours to take a break from the big city life. There are quite interesting statues and buildings around. I went there because some of my friends were interested in this place but there are definitely more interesting spots to visit in and around Hamburg.
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