Park cemetery Werl

The burial and morgue

The park cemetery in Werl was laid out in 1850 in the southeast of the city in the immediate vicinity of the Wulf yeast factory in Werl , Soest district , ( North Rhine-Westphalia ). It was considered a place of rest and was one of the most beautiful cemeteries in Westphalia and it is an example of the change in burial culture and garden design. Many of the ash trees , arborvitae, maples and various types of fir planted near the site are still preserved, most of the former family graves, which were surrounded by elaborate grids, were demolished. Pastor Alterauge inaugurated the complex on July 30, 1850.

History and description

Memorial stone for the old cemetery, today the kindergarten is located here

Memorial stone for the slave laborers who died during the Second World War

The fountain in the entrance area

Due to industrial growth, the Werler population increased, the former cemetery at Steinertor, the current location of the St. Walburga kindergarten, became too small. About 200 meters southeast of the city, on Soester Strasse, a new burial place was created. The city architect Rudolf Wegener from Werl made the plan as a four-field system, the path system was right-angled. In the center is a representative cross of the Mellin family who inherited the Malin family . The body was weathered, the sculptor L. Braun carved a new one. In the middle of the old cemetery was the crypt of the von Mellin family, the bones of Joseph von Mellin were brought to the new cemetery.

The first extensions took place in 1869, 1886 and 1887. In 1911 the city of Werl commissioned the garden architect M. Reinhard from Düsseldorf with the fundamental over-planning and extension. Following the trend of the times, a park -like layout was created, with the possibility of using it as a cemetery and also as a public garden. The paths were alley-like lined with rare trees, the grave fields were surrounded by Lebensbaum- and yew hedges.

The fountain, which was built at this time and is surrounded by mighty plane trees, has been preserved, as is the arcade with its arched Crimean linden trees . The linden trees had to be cut regularly to limit the growth in thickness. The large Michaelis monument was erected in 1930 for those who died in previous wars.

The next major cemetery expansion was carried out in 1969, the plans were made by Victor Calles , a garden architect from Cologne. Japanese cherries, blood plants, copper rock pears, thorn spruce and black pines were planted in the so-called new part of the cemetery. Karl Brodhun, an artist from Werl, created a 70-meter-long relief wall made of concrete, which is intended to commemorate the victims of war, victims of displacement and victims of violence . The so-called marine monument is a large anchor that used to stand in front of the restaurant zum Anker in the area across from the listed Villa Wulf on Steinerstraße. After the structural redesign of the inner city area, he was transferred to the cemetery. The cemetery, which was about one hectare in size at the beginning, was expanded to twelve hectares over the years.

Cemetery chapel

The cemetery chapel stands on the oldest part of the complex, it was built in 1953 in the style of that time. Due to new urban planning in the immediate vicinity, the creation of new car parking spaces on the historical part became necessary in 2012.

Grave sites (selection)

The tomb for Hedwig Dransfeld

Betkaspar is reburied in a grave of honor

The resting places of the provosts of St. Walburga , the important provost church.

The Erbsälzer are buried in some magnificent tombs.

There is a single burial chapel on the site. It was built for Johannes Spieker , a director and high school professor of the Mariengymnasium and donor of the archbishopric Konviktes. It is a listed building and can be found under Section VIII / 69.

Hedwig Dransfeld , an honorary citizen of the city, was active in the Catholic women's movement and is buried in an honorary grave. The tomb was designed by the sculptor Franz Guntermann .

Betkaspar Schwarze visited over 150 churches in the area every year in order to take part in the eternal adoration, he received an honorary grave from the city of Werl. A memorial created for him by Joseph Wäscher stands in front of the old cemetery in Bremen .

The memorial for the fallen of the First World War is also under monument protection, it can be found in Dept. VIII / -

The burial place for the Müller / Ostermann family is in the Dept. Dept. VIII / 155 and is a listed building.

The tombstone for Johann Theodor Fickermann , a mayor of the city , is also a listed building.

Cedar of Lebanon

The most notable tree in the complex is the more than 200 year old Lebanon cedar , which is the emblem of the coat of arms in the flag of Lebanon. The tree was already a considerable size when it was laid out; master builder Wegener determined the central axis of the oldest part of the cemetery as the location. The route was aligned with the tree. According to tradition, a missionary brought the tree as a plant to Werl, in the shadow of this now mighty cedar, there is the listed grave grotto for the provost and honorary citizen Alterauge. It is in Department VII / -.

Military dependents part of the cemetery

Burial ground in the Canadian part of the cemetery

In the 1950s and 1960s, Canadian soldiers and their relatives were stationed in Werl, they lived in a specially built housing estate. For the deceased of these Canadians, a separate section was set up in the cemetery, which is still looked after today.

Others

A pilgrim from the Sauerland visited the basilica and the cemetery in the early 20th century, she expressed herself enthusiastically: De Wiärlsken hiet guet stiärwen, this is jo dat purest paradise! Nurse younger Dage well nümmes waier opstohn, säo schoin is dat huier. (Werler died well, that's pure paradise! Nobody wants to get up again on last day, it's so beautiful here)