Hönggerberg cemetery

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Hönggerberg cemetery, chapel
Family graves

The Hönggerberg cemetery is a cemetery in the Höngg district in the north-west of Zurich . It is located above Höngg within reach of the ETH Hönggerberg .

history

After its incorporation into the city of Zurich in 1934, Höngg experienced a building boom, so that the older Höngg cemetery on the south side of the reformed Höngg Church proved to be too small even before the outbreak of the Second World War . Therefore, in 1941, planning work began on a new cemetery above Höngg. The construction of a crematorium was also discussed, but this was not realized in Höngg in favor of the later Nordheim crematorium . After the Michelstrasse was expanded to the Hönggerberg in 1946, the cemetery was built between 1946 and 1948 according to plans by the architects JA Freytag and Walter Gachnang. In 1979 the cemetery was expanded to include its southern part. In 2003, a 3.3 hectare area was set up for ash burial in the forest bordering the cemetery to the northwest.

Area and buildings

The Hönggerberg cemetery is usually entered today through the gate on Michelstrasse. The main architectural portal, on the other hand, is on the northwest side on Notzenschürlistrasse , which leads through the forest and ends behind the cemetery portal on a square in front of the abdication hall. The square is planted with horse chestnuts and has a sculpture by Emilio Stanzani from 1949 on the right-hand side. Although the work of art is titled Pietà , it shows a powerful angel looking upwards at the moment of his departure. In his arms he carries a dead person with him whom death has not weakened. On the left side of the square are the administration building and the funeral hall, which is connected to the abdication hall by means of a walkway. Its front wall is adorned with a fresco by Max Gubler from 1948, which shows a soul guide angel who shows a resurrected person the way to heaven.

The topography of the site was taken into account at the planning stage. With its long slope, the cemetery has an exceptional view of the city of Zurich and the Limmat Valley. The southern front of the cemetery was deliberately kept clear of tall trees in order to preserve the view over the long term. The network of paths is kept in flowing movements, so that new perspectives always emerge. The planting underlines the park-like character of the cemetery complex.

Graves of important personalities

The Hönggerberg cemetery is the final resting place of:

See also

literature

  • Norbert Loacker , Christoph Hänsli: Where Zurich comes to rest. The cemeteries of the city of Zurich. Orell Füssli, Zurich 1998, ISBN 3-280-02809-4 .
  • Daniel Foppa: Famous and forgotten dead in Zurich's cemeteries. 2nd, supplemented and updated edition. Limmat, Zurich 2003, ISBN 3-85791-446-7 .

Web links

Commons : Friedhof Hönggerberg  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Norbert Loacker, Christoph Hänsli: Where Zurich comes to rest. 1998, p. 73.
  2. ^ Hönggerberg cemetery on the website of the City of Zurich
  3. Norbert Loacker, Christoph Hänsli: Where Zurich comes to rest. 1998, pp. 73-75.

Coordinates: 47 ° 24 '35.4 "  N , 8 ° 29' 30.6"  E ; CH1903:  679,489  /  251534