New crematorium (Hamburg-Ohlsdorf)

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View from the cemetery side / east
Construction phase of the celebration hall

The New Crematorium is a cremation facility built by Fritz Schumacher from 1930 to 1932 on the grounds of the Hamburg cemetery in Ohlsdorf . It replaced the old crematorium , which was still outside the cemetery .

location

The crematorium is located on the western edge of the cemetery directly on Fuhlsbüttler Straße and the S-Bahn line from Ohlsdorf to Poppenbüttel . It is still in the old part of the cemetery at a point where there was originally a second entrance to the site. A crematorium was not included in the plans for the cemetery, so it could only be built at a later date at the edge and away from the large visual axes of the site.

Planning and construction

Interior, sculpture mandolin player and parts of the side windows

The system is the last design that Fritz Schumacher realized in Hamburg. Schumacher had already dealt with crematoria in 1899 and published the first studies on this type of building. Four years later he took part in the architectural competition for a crematorium in Bremen and in 1907 was commissioned with the project for one in Dresden-Tolkewitz . The much-noticed Dresden building already showed elements that can be found in the Ohlsdorf crematorium. Schumacher chose a celebratory figure borrowed from classic-antique shapes, he tied the chimneys tightly into the overall shape, he arranged the incineration systems in the basement and he divided the system into a ceremonial and a technical-functional area. He saw it as his goal in the construction of a crematorium "to place the solemn next to the painful, which the building serves [...]" and thereby "to use the sphere of the sacred, [so that the] two worlds of ceremonial and technical systems [...] are organically connected, but only the solemn operation is perceptible to outsiders ".

In the course of the 1920s, it became clear that the old crematorium only inadequately met the requirements. From 1925 onwards, the planning process for a modern system began within the Hamburg administration. Schumacher's first drafts from 1926 already largely resemble the building that was realized later. However, the search for a location caused difficulties, as the architect favored a place in a central location, but politicians and the population had reservations about a crematorium in the vicinity of residential areas. Schumacher's attempts to win locations such as the Schanzenpark, the Glacischaussee, a place at the Johanniskirche in Rotherbaum or today 's Jacobipark for his project failed in 1928 when the Hamburg Senate decided on the Ohlsdorf cemetery, which was then considered to be remote. There the Senate only wanted to build on the old part in order not to have to comply with the building regulations applicable to the new part of the cemetery located on Prussian territory . Schumacher adapted his designs, which had previously been provided with generous open spaces, to the now somewhat limited space available. At the same time, the overall design shrank a little because the city of Hamburg was faced with reducing construction costs due to the effects of the global economic crisis .

The actual construction work began in mid-1930, but did not end until January 1933, as it had to be suspended in the meantime due to austerity measures. Schumacher managed to assign the building a special role compared to the other structures in the cemetery. With the open walkways and the terraces in front , the complex is reminiscent of a monument. The closed and at the same time monumental external impression is reinforced by the dark clinker brick and the bronze doors typical of the time. The realized scope with two celebration halls, a morgue, four ovens in the basement and the necessary administration rooms was described by Schumacher as the "first construction phase", which he hoped to expand at a later date. Seen from the "holiday side" (east facade), the building is symmetrical and appears to be single-storey apart from the massive central celebration hall. This large, upwardly sloping celebration hall was unprecedented in its shape. Its monumental character is emphasized not only by the uniform facade material, but also by the integrated architectural decoration. The center of the building is particularly emphasized by the trapezoidal east gable with its clinker relief and the eye-catching golden phoenix sculpture. The entire architectural jewelry is the work of Richard Kuöhl . The "operating side" (west facade) is dominated by the chimneys connected to a tower and decorated with a clock. On this side, the building is not only clearly multi-storey, but also asymmetrical, as not all of the planned functional rooms have been implemented.

The interior is significantly lighter than the exterior facade. It is structured by parabolic concrete trusses and receives sufficient daylight through the large side windows designed by Ervin Bossányi . The window colors start with warm tones at the entrance and end with colder tones near the gallery for the coffin. On both sides there are colored narrow glass windows in which Heinrich Jungebloedt has abstractly depicted blazing fire and a tree of life. The decoration of the interior is kept very simple, there are only two figurative representations from the workshop of Karl Opfermann on the east gallery . These two figures correspond to the only two free-standing sculptures outside. Here are two slender bronze figures by the sculptor Ludwig Kunstmann , which are placed on towering poles on both sides of the staircase.

Use, conversions and renovation

The time of National Socialism , which began immediately after the building was completed, influenced the use of the building. In the 1930s, the corpses of some prominent opponents of fascism, including Adolf Biedermann , were cremated here after their sometimes violent death, which often led to confrontations between the police and their relatives on the cemetery grounds. Up until 1945, many of those executed in Hamburg were also burned here. From 1940 to 1942, 1,019 deaths from the Neuengamme concentration camp were recorded . The " Memorial for the Victims of National Socialist Persecution " erected in 1949 in the extension of the central axis of the crematorium reminds of this to this day .

Well after the end of the war, from 1952 to 1953, a further celebration hall, a morgue and function rooms were added. With a bright, open overall impression and colored glass windows by Alfred Mahlau, the new celebration hall corresponded to contemporary tastes and was very well received in the decades that followed. In the 1960s, damage became apparent, particularly on the sloping roof and window surfaces. On the basis of an expert opinion by the architect Heinz Jürgen Ruscheweyh , a basic repair was carried out by 1967, during which, among other things, the terrace system was renewed and the roof areas were largely clad with copper.

From 1994 there were no more cremations because the ovens no longer met the current immission control requirements . In addition, there were problems with leaks in the roof and unresolved problems with the acoustics in the party halls. In 2008, planning began for a major redesign and renovation, the architectural competition was won by the tsj office for the extension and the Dohse office for the renovation of the central building. Construction took place from 2011 to 2013, and since then the entire complex has been called the "Hamburger Bestattungsforum Ohlsdorf". The holiday side was hardly affected by the redesign, but extensive changes were made on the operating side and inside. The celebration hall from the 1950s was demolished, two new celebration halls, a crypt and a restaurant area were built. The renovation of the central building restored the roofs to their original condition and converted a former celebration hall into a columbarium .

Since the new version of the Hamburg Monument Protection Act in 2013, the entire facility of the crematorium has been under protection.

Photographs and map

Coordinates: 53 ° 37 '23.3 "  N , 10 ° 2' 4.5"  E

Map: Hamburg
marker
New crematorium​
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Hamburg

  • View from the street side / west

  • Refurbished central building from the southeast (2016)

  • Central building before renovation (2007 still with copper roof)

  • Phoenix on the gable

  • Sculpture mourners in the outdoor area

  • Expansion of the 2010s to include a restaurant

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Quoted from Barbara Leisner, Norbert Fischer: Der Friedhofsführer . Christians Verlag, Hamburg 1994, ISBN 3-7672-1215-3 , p. 56 .
  2. ↑ Quoted from Jörg Schilling: Hamburger Bauheft 22 . Schaff-Verlag, p. 12 .
  3. ↑ Mention of the project on the tsj homepage; accessed on December 29, 2017.
  4. ^ Description of the renovation project on the Dohse homepage; accessed on December 29, 2017.

literature

Web links

Commons : New Crematorium (Hamburg-Ohlsdorf)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Commons : Hamburger Bestattungsforum Ohlsdorf  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files