Crematorium (Bergfriedhof Heidelberg)
After Gotha in 1878 and at the same time as Hamburg , Heidelberg also received a crematorium in the Heidelberg Bergfriedhof in 1891 . From the outset, however, it was not only planned for the needs of Heidelberg, but for the whole of southwest Germany. The establishment of a crematorium was accompanied by strong religious and ecclesiastical concerns, so that typically an ancient construction was used here, at the time of which cremation was common.
The building
One of the concerns of the supporters of cremations was to offer them inexpensively without sacrificing appropriate aesthetic equipment and good technical standards. Despite the financially limited framework, it was possible to build a dignified building together with the architect Philipp Thomas.
The light-colored Keuper - sandstone built bulk of the building is in the shape of an ancient temple. Its pediment is supported by the ends of the side walls that have been worked into pilasters and two Doric columns. The focal point of the facade is the sculptural decoration of the gable. The manufacturer Fritz Landfried jun. donated it a few years after the building was completed.
The center of the gable forms the Eternal Flame, which rises from a bowl decorated with rams' heads. Two female figures flanking the bowl are facing each other. They wear antique robes and heavy flower arrangements. A metope and triglyph frieze is attached under the gable . It alternately shows a winged hourglass and a shining sun as symbols for death and life or the hope of resurrection.
The inner
An eight-step flight of stairs leads to the building and the small rooms, which consist of a vestibule and a sanctuary. The side walls of the vestibule are provided with columbaria to accommodate the ash urns. The 120 urn niches are closed with marble tablets with grave inscriptions. In the entablature one discovers a frieze with a garland decorated with poppy seed capsules, above which a phoenix bird rising from the flames is depicted.
The wall between the vestibule and the consecration room is opened by a round arch. Two female geniuses are inserted into the arch, representing Klio , the muse of historiography, and a figure who is supposed to symbolize the Transfiguration.
The floor of the vestibule is executed in terrazzo technique and ornamented sparingly. In the center you can see a depiction of vanitas , which symbolizes the well-known motif of the " Memento Mori ".
The consecration room only offers space for a clergyman and a small circle of close relatives. The dome was painted with a blue-ground starry sky and an angel head frieze was attached to the transition between wall and dome. The submerged stage was the solemn and functional focal point of the room.
The device was in use until 1990; However, as the number of cremations rose sharply, an extension was built that also meets today's technical requirements.
The Goethe inscription is on the north side :
"Oh wise custom of the ancients, the perfect, that seriously and slowly knotted nature, the dignity of the human image, even when the spirit, the active one, separates itself through pure flames."
literature
- Leena Ruuskanen: The Heidelberg Bergfriedhof through the ages . Ed. Guderjahn - Verlag Regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher et al. 2008, ISBN 978-3-89735-518-7 , pp. 165 ff. ( Series of publications by the Heidelberg City Archives. Special publication 18).
- Bernd Müller: Architectural Guide Heidelberg. Buildings around 1000–2000. Edition Quadrat, Mannheim 1998, ISBN 3-923003-78-1 , p. 142 ( series of publications by the Heidelberg City Archives. Special publication 10).
Web links
Coordinates: 49 ° 23 ′ 45.1 ″ N , 8 ° 41 ′ 30.5 ″ E