Old cemetery (Eitorf)
The old cemetery in Eitorf was used as a burial place from 1805 to 1967. The now park-like area in the center of Eitorf and its remaining graves are under monument protection. Since 1988, the park has been included in the “Collection of Historic Gardens and Parks in the Federal Republic of Germany” drawn up by the German Home Association.
history
In the Middle Ages, the Eitorfer Friedhof existed around the old church on the market square. In 1788, as everywhere, this was to be relocated from the center of the village for reasons of hygiene. Since the Eitorfer citizens did not want to take care of the removal of the up to three meter high cemetery wall and the removal of the one meter high earth masses behind it, the military was ordered to Eitorf. Several people, including the vicar who rang the storm bell and the forester who refused to shoot the crowd, were arrested. The military forced the church wall to be demolished and a new cemetery to be inaugurated within two days. This was built in the area between Schmidtgasse and Goethestrasse, called Äuelchen, and was inaugurated on July 16, 1788. As the name suggests, it was a swampy piece of land and the pits are said to have been constantly full of water.
Therefore, a then new cemetery was created above the new church and the Bertramshof . It was located next to Uckerather Strasse, called the Holl , today's Schoellerstrasse. The first burial took place here on March 31, 1805. The area was then only a quarter of what it is today. The area was expanded in the 19th century. The central cemetery cross was from 1756 and had previously stood on the market square. Today the stone cross stands on the sacristy of the parish church of St.Patricius .
Gravesites
In addition to the row graves, there were a number of family graves of wealthy citizens. There were also hereditary graves for deserving citizens. What have been preserved are u. a. the following graves:
- Mayor Jakob Müller, Gustav Wienecke, Theo Weber and Department Councilor Philipp Komp
- Pastors Zimmermann, Buffen, Zehren, Lapp, Reusch and Vicar Theisssen
- Medical Councilor Carl Friedrich Meyer , Dye Works Owner Julius Gauhe , Liquor Manufacturer Bötticher, Building Contractor Fusshöller, Family Krahforst von Weschpfennig , Municipal Rentmaster Heinrich Bertram
There is also a plaque of honor for those who fell in the First World War . It comes from the Protestant church and was not put back there after its fire in 2002.
New cemetery
In 1942 a new cemetery was laid out on Lascheider Weg and row burials at the Old Cemetery were discontinued. Since the family graves could still be used, the last burial took place on December 21, 1967. On December 31, 1967, the old cemetery was finally closed.
Monument protection
On September 30, 1985, the old cemetery was declared a listed building by the local council. In 1988 it was added to the list of historical parks in Germany worth preserving. In addition to the municipal administration, the cemetery is maintained by the Eitorf local history association, which accepts three-year sponsorships for individual grave sites.
Individual evidence
- ^ Letter from the district court director Diwo dated February 5, 1974 on the preservation of the monument, archive of the evangelical community
literature
- Hermann Josef Ersfeld: Eitorfer parish chronicle. A contribution to the local history of a Rhenish rural community from the beginnings of Christianization until today. Self-published, Eitorf 1984.
- Bernd Winkels: The historic Eitorfer Ortsfriedhöfe Heimatverein Eitorf 2011
Coordinates: 50 ° 46 ′ 7 ″ N , 7 ° 26 ′ 49 ″ E