Sihlfeld cemetery

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Entrance portal Sihlfeld A cemetery

The Sihlfeld cemetery is a cemetery in Zurich-Wiedikon . It was opened in 1877 and, with an area of ​​288,000 m², is both the largest cemetery and the largest park in the city of Zurich . There are two former crematoriums on its site: The Sihlfeld A crematorium from 1889 is the oldest in Switzerland; Its successor is the Sihlfeld D crematorium , which was in operation until 1992.

history

After the funeral system had passed from the churches to the political communities through a revision of the Federal Constitution in 1874, the “Central Cemetery” planned in the 1870s was to become the first non-denominational burial place in the city of Zurich. City architect Arnold Geiser was responsible for the design . The first part of the complex with its classical buildings was inaugurated on October 7, 1877. The second construction phase took place in the years 1888-1892, during which the privately financed first crematorium in Switzerland was built and put into operation in 1889 . This crematorium lost its function in 1915 when the larger crematorium building was completed according to plans by the architect Albert Froelich . In 1896 the “Centralfriedhof” was renamed “Friedhof Sihlfeld”, which is still valid today. Over the years, the cemetery has been continuously expanded and, with Sihlfeld E, which opened in 1964, consists of five sections. From 1958, individual parts of the cemetery were gradually converted into public green spaces . Since 1997, substantial parts of the cemetery, including its buildings and a large number of graves and tombs, have been under protection.

On the left after entering the entrance portal (Sihlfeld A) there is a cubic memorial with the names of 672 Germans who died in World War I and whose place of residence was Zurich when the war broke out. In 1910 around 20% of the city's population were German citizens. On the day of national mourning , or on the previous weekend, the German ambassador to Switzerland lays a wreath at the war memorial. A guest speaker will then give a speech.

Graves of important personalities

Henry Dunant's grave

The Sihlfeld cemetery is the final resting place of:

Cemetery sectors

Sihlfeld A

Cypress avenue with Sihlfeld A crematorium

The oldest part of the Sihlfeld cemetery was built in two stages in the years 1877 and 1888–1892, with the northeast half of Sihlfeld A being the older stage. After the surrounding villages were gradually incorporated into the city of Zurich in 1896, the original plan to make the Sihlfeld cemetery the only cemetery in the city was abandoned, which is why the name "Centralfriedhof" was abandoned. Due to the incorporation, the cemetery was no longer on the outskirts of the city, but rather moved further into its center due to the growth of the city in the first half of the 20th century. 1907–1911 the cemetery on the southwest wall received urn niches. In 1915 the crematorium from Sihlfeld A was replaced by the newly built crematorium from Sihlfeld D, which is why the old crematorium was converted into an abdication hall by city architect Hermann Herter in 1936. After the fundamental decision in 1958 to gradually convert parts of the cemetery from A, B and C into public green spaces, the entire complex was placed under protection in 1997, with special attention to sections A, DI and E as well as selected graves and tombs.

Sector A was designed based on the Vienna Central Cemetery with a square floor plan. A main axis from Sihlfeld A extends Zypressenstrasse under the classicistic portal system by Arnold Geiser to the abdication hall, the former crematorium. Thuja trees line and emphasize this visual axis of the cemetery. In the four central squares there are mostly protected family graves, the star-shaped paths lead to blood beeches, which form the center of the four central squares. The urn wall encloses three of the four boundaries of Sihlfeld A.

To the left of the portal on Zypressenstrasse, a memorial commemorates past disasters. The inscription reads: «In memory of the Germans from Zurich and the surrounding area who fell in the World War 1914–1918. The victims of war and tyranny 1933–1945. »

Sihlfeld B.

Urn Grove Sihlfeld B

In 1880 this part of the cemetery was opened as the "Wiedikon cemetery". When Wiedikon was incorporated into the city of Zurich in 1893, the Wiedikon cemetery was named Sihlfeld B. In 1958, the city council decided that parts of the Sihlfeld cemetery should be converted into public green spaces, which is why most of Sihlfeld B was redesigned to Aemtlerwiese in 1968. The only cemetery left today is an area of ​​2039 m², essentially consisting of a path bordered by a strip of lawn, which runs along the urn niche wall from northeast to southwest along the border to the Sihlfeld A sector.

Sihlfeld C

Sculpture Awakening by Louis Conne , Sihlfeld C

Sihlfeld C was built in 1902. It is an area of ​​36,452 m², which extends parallel to the Sihlfeld A and Sihlfeld B sectors from northeast to southwest. Based on Sihlfeld A, most of the paths are geometrically arranged, the exception being a curved edge path along the fence. A main square is created at the intersection of the longitudinal axis with the extended cross street of Sector A. In the center of Sihlfeld C there is a fountain basin, next to which the figural round sculpture "Die Erwachende" by Louis Conne from the years 1945–1946 was placed. In the 1970s, significant parts of Sihlfeld C were shut down, but the urn wall and individual family graves remained. Since the 1990s, Sihlfeld C has been used more publicly, with the nightly closure of the area and public relations work trying to maintain the piety of the cemetery area.

Sihlfeld D.

Archway Sihlfeld D
Cemetery chapel D

In 1915 the crematorium on Sihlfeld D was built by architect Albert Froelich , which replaced the first crematorium on Sihlfeld A. The first stage of Sihlfeld D was built in 1917, the second stage in 1932. The Sihlfeld D crematorium was expanded in 1935 and 1938 and closed in 1992. Since then it has been used as an urn hall and abdication building. Since 1950 the older part of Sihlfeld D has been used exclusively for urn graves. The location of the site between Gutstrasse and Albisriederstrasse results in three axes, which Sihlfeld D divide into different sectors. A first axis leads from the monumental gate in the area of ​​the main entrance to the crematorium. The younger part of the cemetery from 1932 has an axis that leads from the portal on Albisriederstrasse through an avenue of plane trees to an apse on Gutstrasse. The third axis is perpendicular to the second. It is worth mentioning the honorary grave for Henri Dunant, for whom a pavilion was built in 1928, in which his remains were solemnly buried in 1931. In 1917 the urn grove of Sihlfeld D was built, which encompasses the crematorium on three sides. In 1932 a monumental urn niche wall was built on the outside of the northwestern urn grove wall. The design of this niche wall creates small bays in which mourners can linger in a protected setting in front of the name boards.

Sihlfeld D cemetery chapel

In addition to the former crematorium, the cemetery chapel at the entrance from Albisriederstrasse is also used for abdication ceremonies. It is a simple, rectangular room that, in contrast to crematorium D, appears light and modest. The room has simple furnishings. The single-manual, mechanical organ was built by Metzler Orgelbau, Dietikon.

Disposition of the organ:

Manual C – g 3
Covered 8th'
Gemshorn 8th'
Principal 4 ′
Reed flute 4 ′
octave 2 ′
mixture 1'
Pedal C – d 1
Sub bass 16 ′
  • Pairing : I / P
  • Playing aid : alternating step mixture

Sihlfeld E

Portal Sihlfeld E

In 1954 an architecture competition was held for this youngest part of the Sihlfeld cemetery. Philipp Bridel and Walter Leder received the first prize. In 1959 the high-rise buildings were planned: the portal, the service buildings and the shelter for visitors to the cemetery. The cemetery was established in 1962, and the cemetery was put into operation from 1964 to relieve the Sihlfeld A and Sihlfeld C sectors, which were then heavily occupied.

particularities

The City of Zurich operates the Friedhof Forum in a room in the entrance portal to the Sihlfeld A cemetery . It deals with dying and death, burial and mourning. The forum offers guided tours and organizes events on the topics of the cemetery and dying.

opening hours

  • March 1 to April 30: 7 am–7pm
  • May 1 to August 31: 7 am–8pm
  • September 1 to November 2: 7 am–7pm
  • November 3rd to the end of February: 8 am–5pm

See also

literature

  • Daniel Foppa: Famous and forgotten dead in Zurich's cemeteries. 2nd, supplemented and updated edition. Limmat, Zurich 2003, ISBN 3-85791-446-7 .
  • 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 .
  • Regula Michel: The Sihlfeld Cemetery in Zurich-Wiedikon (= Swiss Art Guide . No. 723/724, Series 73). Society for Swiss Art History GSK, Bern 2002, ISBN 3-85782-723-8 .

Web links

Commons : Sihlfeld cemetery  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Regula Michel: The Sihlfeld Cemetery in Zurich-Wiedikon. 2002.
  2. ↑ Norbert Loacker, Christoph Hänsli: Where Zurich comes to rest. 1998, p. 131.
  3. ↑ Philipp Meier: Commemoration and Thoughts - Wreath-laying on the German National Mourning Day in Zurich . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . No. 264 . Zurich November 12, 2012, p. 12 .
  4. ↑ Norbert Loacker, Christoph Hänsli: Where Zurich comes to rest. 1998, pp. 131-132.
  5. ↑ Norbert Loacker, Christoph Hänsli: Where Zurich comes to rest. 1998, pp. 131-134.
  6. ↑ Norbert Loacker, Christoph Hänsli: Where Zurich comes to rest. 1998, p. 133.
  7. ↑ Norbert Loacker, Christoph Hänsli: Where Zurich comes to rest. 1998, p. 134.
  8. ↑ Norbert Loacker, Christoph Hänsli: Where Zurich comes to rest. 1998, pp. 135-140.
  9. ↑ Norbert Loacker, Christoph Hänsli: Where Zurich comes to rest. 1998, pp. 140-141.
  10. ↑ Norbert Loacker, Christoph Hänsli: Where Zurich comes to rest. 1998, pp. 141-142.
  11. ↑ Norbert Loacker, Christoph Hänsli: Where Zurich comes to rest. 1998, p. 143.
  12. ^ Friedhof Forum on the website of the City of Zurich , accessed on November 16, 2016.

Coordinates: 47 ° 22 '30.1 "  N , 8 ° 30' 34.1"  E ; CH1903:  six hundred eighty thousand eight hundred and seventy-three  /  247684