Saint-Quentin German War Cemetery
The German military cemetery St. Quentin ( French Cimetière militaire allemand de Saint-Quentin ) is a cemetery where 8,229 German war dead from the First World War are buried. It is located on Rue de la Chaussée-Romaine in the northern French city of St. Quentin in the Aisne department .
Situation in the First World War
The cemetery was laid out in 1914. The city was an important stage center at the time . Initially, Germans, French and British were buried there. Further burials took place above all in the course of the summer battle and from 1917, when St. Quentin became part of the Siegfried Line on the immediate front.
The monument of the cemetery with two antique bronze figures was erected by Wilhelm Wandschneider on behalf of Kaiser Wilhelm II . On October 18, 1915, the inauguration took place in the presence of the emperor and numerous - including French - personalities. On this occasion, the emperor laid wreaths in front of the plaque with the names of German and French soldiers who had fallen.
After the end of the war
After the end of the war, the cemetery was expanded up to 35 kilometers away by embedding German war dead from 98 surrounding community areas. At the same time, the French and British dead were transferred to nearby national cemeteries.
After the Franco-German war graves agreement was concluded, the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge took on the final design. Of the 8,229 who died, 6,294 rest in individual graves. For religious reasons, the graves of the fallen of the Jewish faith received a stele made of natural stone instead of the cross. The cemetery is looked after by the care service of the Volksbund.
literature
- Klaus Dudat: The military cemetery in St. Quentin. Its establishment and inauguration , Arras 1973 - published in: German Soldier Yearbook 1978 , Munich 1978, p. 179 ff.
- Victorien Georges et Frédéric Pillet: Saint Quentin 1914 - 1918. Les champs du repos , St. Quentin 2015 (in French)
Web links
Coordinates: 49 ° 50 ′ 52.4 " N , 3 ° 15 ′ 40.1" E