Heidefriedhof (Dresden)
The Städtische Heidefriedhof in Dresden is a municipal forest cemetery on the northern outskirts with several memorials and honor groves. The official wreath-laying ceremony for the victims of the bombing raids from February 13th to 15th, 1945 took place at the Heidefriedhof every year until 2015 . After the Soviet garrison cemetery established in 1945 , it is the youngest cemetery in Dresden .
location
The cemetery on an area of 54 hectares is geometrically laid out. The Heidefriedhof is characterized by its good tree population. This is partly due to the forest of the "Trachauer Neuheide", the Junge Heide . By its nature it is a forest cemetery with avenue quarters. The cemetery is located in the north-west of Dresden in the corridor of the Trachau district , north-west of the Wilder Mann , and extends to the route of the federal motorway 4 , which is an 80-meter-wide safety strip away. The main entrance is on Moritzburger Landstrasse . The visitor parking lot and a bus stop of the Dresden transport company are located at this main entrance .
The main avenue beginning at Moritzburger Landstrasse leads to the celebration hall, which is on the left. On the right side of the main avenue branches off the path through the grove of honor for the victims of war and tyranny, which leads to the mass graves with the victims of the air raids on Dresden. A little further along the main avenue, the urn community facility is on the right. Opposite the main entrance is the side entrance on the Radebeul side. Other, smaller entrances can be found in the wooded area around the cemetery.
The Heidefriedhof is located in the landscape protection area Dresdner Heide .
history
The first planning due to the need for non-denominational cemetery space was carried out in 1913 by City Planning Director Hans Erlwein . The First World War and subsequent inflation delayed execution.
The area of the municipal Heidefriedhof on Moritzburger Landstrasse was incorporated into Dresden in 1927. An approved after some negotiations in 1928 area for a Jewish burial was in the wake of the seizure of power but not be set up by the Nazis.
The cemetery buildings were designed by the architect Pohl, who was employed in the municipal building department, while the city gardening director Heinrich Balke was responsible for the facilities . Originally, an area of 75 hectares was planned for the cemetery, but the area of the cemetery had to be reduced to around 53 hectares due to the construction of the Reichsautobahn 4 . Most of the trees were left and the character of a heathland was even strengthened, including the planting of tens of thousands of heather plants from the Lüneburg Heath .
The first urn burial took place in 1936, the first burial in the following year. When the Trachau forest cemetery was laid out in 1934, a grove was created in the rear for those who died in the First World War . This part of the cemetery was designed as a memorial to the fallen in the form of an old Germanic Thingplatz , as it emerged in numerous places in Germany during the beginning of National Socialism with the Nazi Thing Movement . The symbolism included stone wreaths of oak leaves, the iron cross and swastikas. A celebration hall was planned for the war dead. However, this memorial could not be completed during the Second World War.
After the air raids on Dresden on 13/14 In February 1945 , most of the dead from the bombing were buried in the Heidefriedhof. In 1948 the National Socialist symbolism of the Thingplatz was removed. An initial design was carried out for the mass graves with bomb victims located here.
In 1951, a memorial for the victims of fascism was set up between the main road and the memorial roundabout . The symbol of this system was the red triangle standing on the tip. This red marking for politically persecuted people in the concentration camps symbolized such facilities everywhere in the GDR. In addition to the amalgamation of the remains of those who were executed and those who died in prison or concentration camp, a central burial site was created for the "recognized victims of the Nazi regime". This system was based on a design by the Leibhold Building Council from the City of Dresden's Design Office.
In connection with the extensive construction work planned in 1964 for the central grove of honor, the construction of a new crematorium was also planned here. At the same time, the redesign of the existing celebration hall was planned. The crematorium and the new celebration hall were supposed to replace the facility in Tolkewitz . The limited capacity in the Meißen crematorium also resulted in unusually long waiting times. The construction work for the crematorium behind the celebration hall has already been prepared. Due to financial and sacred decisions, however, the new building was discontinued in favor of an extension of the Tolkewitz crematorium.
Memorial complex for the victims of war and tyranny
In 1964/1965, the existing facilities for the bomb victims, those persecuted by the Nazi regime and those who died in the First World War were created into a uniform grove of honor. For this construction work, a construction road was laid through the rear northern part, in which the Thingplatz was still formally. During the plant-based redesign of the grave facilities, voluntary work also took place within the framework of the National Construction Work (NAW). This entire facility was designed as a central “anti-fascist and anti-militarist” memorial for Dresden.
Grove of honor for the victims of fascism
After the war, a wooden cross was first set up, which marked the entrance to the facilities of the "Victims of War and Fascism" opposite the celebration hall. Since 1964, opposite the celebration hall, a tall obelisk with the symbol of the International Federation of Resistance Fighters (FIR - Fédération Internationale des Résistants ) has marked the entrance to the Grove of Honor. The wall erected next to it bears the inscription: Striving up to the highest of humanity .
This marking with the international FIR symbol instead of the red triangle of the VVN is due to the time event. The association of those persecuted by the Nazi regime (VVN), which had existed in both parts of Germany until then , was repealed in the GDR in order to take away the accusation of communist leadership from the West German association. Affiliation was replaced by an official status as "Recognized Persecutor of National Socialism". The importance of the cemetery itself remained unaffected. The burial places in front of the entire grove of honor were dedicated to the international fight against war and militarism.
Community facility for those persecuted by National Socialism
In the grove of honor there are steles and blocks on both sides of a wide path, on which the names and dates of life of hundreds of opponents of National Socialism from Dresden are recorded. Here urns rest with the remains of persecuted people who were murdered between 1933 and 1945. It is also the burial place for all those who died after the war and who had the status “VdN” ( persecuted by the Nazi regime ). This status stands for all persons persecuted for political, racist, ethnic or other reasons during the time of National Socialism . This group of people was imprisoned in concentration camps, internment camps and prisons or had to accept hardships over a long period because they had escaped captivity. At the entrance to the Ehrenhain there are grave slabs with the names of persecuted people who had died up to 1945 and whose burial is only symbolic here.
In the transition to the central roundabout, there are individual urn graves on both sides of public figures in Dresden who had made special contributions to the establishment of the “new order” after 1945.
Roundabout
The existing roundabout between the VdN grove and the mass graves from 1945 was redesigned and expanded in 1965 as a "roundabout in the Ehrenhain". During the complete redesign to commemorate “war and fascism”, the circular shape was retained.
A central offering bowl was set up, which is surrounded by 14 sandstone pillars. 14 locations were selected to represent the sites of war. For the extermination camps there are seven pillars for the concentration camps of Auschwitz , Bergen-Belsen , Buchenwald , Dachau , Ravensbrück , Sachsenhausen and Theresienstadt . The destruction caused by acts of war by the German Wehrmacht are symbolized by Coventry , Leningrad , Rotterdam and Warsaw . Lidice and Oradour stand for the massacres of the civilian population by the Wehrmacht and SS . The stele with the inscription Dresden commemorates the bombing of Dresden and the civilian victims as a result of the war. Dresden is set between Coventry and Leningrad.
Memorial to the victims of February 13 and 14, 1945
Behind the roundabout a path leads to a memorial for the dead in the air raids on Dresden in February 1945. More than 11,500 victims lie in mass graves along the way . An "ash grave" contains the remains of a further 6,865 dead who were burned with flamethrowers in the old market because of the risk of epidemics . A total of 18,365 bomb victims were buried in the Heidefriedhof. This also corresponds to the German and English language information on the information board near the ash grave.
Left and right of this path are four stone slabs with inscriptions.
- The dead live by admonishing us
- We honor the dead in the struggle for peace
- Remembrance of the dead so that life may win
- A demand made on us to live for peace
- Peace conquers death and war
- Work does not crown people the war
- Never again will what happened here be our oath
- You live on in our structure
Behind the mass grave is a sandstone wall with an inscription by the Dresden writer Max Zimmering :
“How many died? Who knows the number? // You can see the torment on your wounds // The nameless ones who burned here // In hellfire made by human hands. "
The sculpture Mourning Girl on the Sea of Tears , financed by a private foundation and created by the Polish artist Małgorzata Chodakowska , who lives in Dresden, has also existed since 2010 . The sculpture of a girl stands next to the cemetery hall in front of a large black marble bowl with a view of the grove of honor and was created in memory of the victims of February 13 and 14, 1945.
Memorial for prisoners of war and forced laborers from the Soviet Union
On May 8, 1989, the memorial for prisoners of war and forced labor from the Soviet Union, created by the sculptor Thea Richter , was inaugurated. The facility is located to the right of the main path in front of the semi-anonymous community facility, a little away from the large Ehrenhains. It shows five larger than life reclining human bodies on a large concrete surface covered with stone shrouds. Two metal plates in front of it explain the context.
“In memory of hundreds of prisoners of war and forced laborers from the Soviet Union who died in Dresden from 1941 to 1945 far from their homeland.
In their honor and as a warning to us, earth is preserved here from their graves, the Outer Matthew Cemetery, the Johannis Cemetery , the Urn Grove, the Tolkewitz cremation institution. "
Small grove of honor
A provisional honorary grove was set up in Grabfeld 22 as early as the 1950s, before today's honorary grove was inaugurated in September 1965. A stele with the inscription Your life was the fight against fascism forms the center .
The graves of Greek patriots who found exile in Radebeul during the military dictatorship in Greece (1967–1974) were grouped around them .
There are also tombstones for Koreans who found accommodation and asylum in Dresden during and as a result of the Korean War . This group of Koreans returned home on the instructions of Kim Il Sung , the deceased remained here.
The memorial stone for Rosa Menzer and the grave of the Dresden artists and resistance fighters Hans Grundig (February 19, 1901 to September 11, 1958) and Lea Grundig (March 23, 1906 to October 10, 1977) are also located here.
Another stone commemorates the Italian soldiers who were disarmed, interned and deported to the "Reich" for forced labor after the capitulation of Italy in September 1943 . The Italian Military Internees (IMI) remained one of the worst-treated groups among Western European forced laborers until the end of the war .
"QUI RIPOSANO // MILITARI // ITALIANI // REST HERE // ITALIAN // SOLDIERS"
Special grave fields
The Heidefriedhof is characterized by the geometric layout of its grave fields. The departments are easy to find by crossing paths. A uniform design of the tombs within departments is determined by occupancy plans. Some grave fields are subject to special regulations. This also includes the grave fields for those “persecuted by the Nazi regime” and for war victims.
Urn community facility
Urn community facilities offer the descendants the advantage that grave maintenance is carried out centrally. So the grave site of the deceased is always well looked after and in a worthy condition.
Anonymous attachment
In 1975 the “anonymous urn complex” was created, which is called “Green Meadow” in parlance, although the ashes are not scattered here, but rather buried in urns in accordance with the Saxon burial law . At the request of the deceased, an anonymous burial takes place in the field around the central memorial stone. This was created by Rudolf Sitte under the theme "Die and be". It is shown how the new breaks out of the old. Due to the anonymity, no personal memorial plaque is placed.
Semi-anonymous plant
In 2000, the increasing desire for a semi-anonymous community facility was met and a grave field was set up. 48 partial areas were planned, each surrounded by a grave border. 20 urns in five rows can be buried on each of these areas . Each grave area is designed with a uniform floor covering planting and has a stele or a bed plate made of sandstone. The 20 buried are marked with their names and the dates of birth and death. In this way, joint maintenance by the administration is possible and an individual grave place is still created. There are bowls on each surface for individual flower donations. These systems are located to the right of the main path in an area in front of the Ehrenhain.
Children's graves
There is also a special burial ground for children in the cemetery. This is a special system with a rest period shortened to ten years. It offers the possibility of burial of miscarriages and stillbirths.
Buddhist grave complex
On 27 September 2015 the cemetery was E 13 in the northern part of the Heide cemetery on a total area of about 2,000 sqm the nearby Buddhist grave plant after the Great ceremonial ritual of the Buddhist burial-ordination passed. This is the first Buddhist burial place in all of Eastern Europe. It was established by the Vietnamese Buddhist Cultural Center in Saxony eV and financed from its own resources, from funds from the city of Dresden, from donations and other support. The state capital Dresden is responsible for the system. The facility is open to all religious schools and nationalities.
The entrance to the actual tomb is framed by two approximately 2.5 meter high granite pillars, each with a wheel of life , which illustrates both the infinity of life and the wheel of the Buddha's teaching . The spokes embody the Noble Eightfold Path or the Sacred Eightfold Path . The consecration name Place of Return is engraved on the pillars in four languages (German, Vietnamese, English and Pali) .
A square with an edge length of 42 meters has been created on the area as the actual burial site. Four granite statues of important Bodhisattvas are placed in the corners , representing the Four Noble Truths . The square is divided into eight paths and thus into eight individual fields by parallels and diagonals crossing each other in the center , which in turn symbolize the sacred eightfold path or the wheel of life. In the center of the tomb, an approximately 2.5 meter high and 9 ton heavy monolithic Buddha statue made of Vietnamese granite is placed as a central point , which looks towards the entrance of the complex.
A linden tree planted behind the statue instead of a sacred fig tree (Indian poplar fig, Ficus religiosa) symbolically opens the way into the universe. The linden tree was chosen as a replacement for the poplar fig, which is required by Buddhist rules, because it would need thermal protection in Central Europe.
On March 1, 2019, the first Buddhist burial according to the traditional burial rituals took place in the presence of many venerable monks and nuns as well as in the presence of 150 believers and mourning guests. The solemn ceremony was celebrated by the Revered Monk and Teacher, Bhiksu Thich Hanh Tan, Abbot of the Buddhist Amitayus Retreat Monastery Schönfeld .
Muslim burial place
A burial place for the Muslim deceased was created on the Heidefriedhof, where the special burial rituals of Islam , as required by the Koran, are possible. In particular, this enables ablution, yet coffin burial is required according to state laws.
Graves of famous personalities
- Wilhelm Adam (1893–1978), politician and general
- Artur Bär (1884–1972), painter
- Friedrich A. Bäßler (1884–1956), teacher, ornithologist and botanist
- Rudolf Bergander (1909–1970), painter
- Otto Buchwitz (1879–1964), President of the Saxon State Parliament
- Kurt Dämmig (1884–1944), sculptor
- Fritz Deumlich (1923–2005), geodesist
- Elsa Fenske (1899–1946), politician
- Rainer Fetscher (1895–1945), doctor
- Fidelio F. Finke (1891–1968), composer
- Karl Friedemann (1906–2000), resistance fighter, honorary citizen of Dresden
- Rudolf Friedrichs (1892–1947), Prime Minister of Saxony from 1945 to 1947
- Walter Fritzsch (1920–1997), coach of Dynamo Dresden
- Hans Frühauf (1904–1991), electrical engineer
- Hans Grundig (1901–1958), painter and graphic artist
- Lea Grundig (1906–1977), painter and graphic artist
- Paul Gruner (1890–1947), German politician
- Herbert Gute (1905–1975), Lord Mayor of Dresden
- Max Heldt (1872–1933), politician
- Eugen Hoffmann (1892–1955), sculptor and graphic artist
- Günther Hofmann (1927–2013), opera singer and director
- Werner Hofmann (1907–1983), graphic artist and painter
- Erich Höhne (1912–1999), photographer and chronicler
- Heinz Jungnickel (1914–2006), refrigeration engineer
- Olga Körner (1887–1969), politician and women's rights activist
- Auguste Lazar (1887–1970), Austrian writer
- Heinz Lohmar (1900–1976), painter
- Manfred Luther (1925–2004) painter, constructivist and philosopher
- Oskar Mai (1892–1945), worker functionary and anti-fascist resistance fighter
- Rudolf Nehmer (1912–1983), painter
- Waltraud Nowarra (1940–2007), chess player
- Richard Peter Sr. (1895–1977), photographer
- Rudolf Renner (1894–1940), party leader of the KPD in the Saxon state parliament
- Wilhelm Richter (1906–1978), physicist
- Rudi Schiemann (1901–1970), actor
- Kurt Schlosser (1900–1944), resistance fighter
- Eva Schulze-Knabe (1907–1976), painter
- Max Seydewitz (1892–1987), Prime Minister of Saxony from 1947 to 1952
- Ruth Seydewitz (1905–1989), writer
- Bruno Siegel (1890–1948), worker functionary, politician and resistance fighter
- Rudolf Sitte (1922–2009), sculptor and painter
- Alfred Thiele (1904–1934), worker functionary and resistance fighter
- Johannes Paul Thilman (1906–1973), composer
- Otto Trillitzsch (1898–1974), politician
- Fritz Tröger (1894–1978), painter
- Wolfgang Ullrich (1923–1973), German zoologist, animal filmmaker and author of animal books
- OF Weidling (1924–1985), conférencier
- Walter Weidauer (1899–1986), Lord Mayor of Dresden
- Max Zimmering (1909–1973), writer
- Karl Zuchardt (1887–1968), writer
The grave of family members of Hanns Rothbarth , who was shot by the SS in Sachsenhausen concentration camp on October 11, 1944, together with Ernst Schneller and another 25 victims, is located in the Heidefriedhof .
Annual commemoration of those killed in the air raids
On the morning of February 13th, the official ceremony to commemorate the air raids on Dresden took place every year until 2015 . While right-wing extremists and neo-Nazis were unable to take part in the official wreath-laying ceremony for a time and they could only develop their actions after the end of the official celebration, the NPD was also allowed to participate in the official protocol when they entered the Saxon state parliament (2005-2014) to.
Another annual event is "Cemetery Day", which takes place across Germany on the third weekend in September.
literature
- Marion Stein: Cemeteries in Dresden . Edited by the Cultural Office of the City of Dresden. Verlag der Kunst Dresden, 2000, ISBN 90-5705-130-3 .
Web links
- Municipal cemetery and funeral services Dresden
- The Heidefriedhof at www.sozialistische-gedenkstätten.de
- Heidefriedhof on dresdner-stadtteile.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ Heath cemetery. In: dresdner-stadtteile.de. Retrieved May 26, 2016 .
- ^ Socialist memorials: Dresden Heidefriedhof. (No longer available online.) In: Sozialistische-gedenkstaetten.de. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017 ; accessed on May 26, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Heath cemetery . In: Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge, Stadtverband Dresden (ed.), Holger Hase, Wolfgang Scheder: Dresden war gravesites. Places of remembrance for the victims of war and tyranny . Dresden, 2010, p. 44.
- ↑ Tombs in the Heidefriedhof. Municipal Cemetery and Funeral Services, accessed May 26, 2016 .
- ↑ Eastern Europe's first Buddhist burial place on the Heidefriedhof Dresden. In: Dresdner Latest News . September 27, 2015, accessed March 3, 2019 .
- ↑ Dedicated Buddhist tomb. In: Saxon newspaper . September 27, 2015, accessed September 27, 2015 .
- ↑ Vietnamese Buddhist Cultural Center in Saxony eV
Coordinates: 51 ° 6 ′ 12.9 ″ N , 13 ° 42 ′ 30.7 ″ E