Hamburg has the most beautiful cemetery in Germany

Ohlsdorf Cemetery was named Germany’s most beautiful cemetery by a jury led by Cardinal Karl Lehmann.

Hamburg has the most beautiful cemetery in Germany. At least, according to a jury organized by the Bishop of Mainz, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, which declared Ohlsdorf Cemetery the winner of the award sponsored by the website Bestattungen.de. “Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg, with an area of 555 soccer fields, is one of the largest park cemeteries in the world,” a jury member said. Despite its size, the site is idyllic, he noted.

Second place went to the Forest Cemetery in the Bavarian capital of Munich. The main cemetery of Mainz, the capital of the Rhineland-Palatinate, won third place. The award for the most beautiful cemetery in Germany was started by Bestattungen.de in 2011. The aim of the award is to “encourage society to approach the topic of death with more awareness,” Lehmann said.

(source: dpa, Germany.info)

Ohlsdorf Cemetery (Hamburg, Germany)

The Ohlsdorf Cemetery was established in 1877 as a non-denominational burial site.

About the cemetery

Two different landscaping trends contributed to the current aspect of the cemetery. The first was introduced by the architect Wilhelm Cordes (1840-1917), of national and international renown, who worked 38 years to create a "garden cemetery". The cemetery was then expanded after World War I, on the basis of a project by Otto Linne (1869-1937), with strict architectural layouts and grave plots considered as basic units.

Both sections of the cemetery are suitable for extensive walks, especially in the Old Hamburg Memorial Cemetery, the Rose Garden and, more recently, the Women's Garden. In addition, there are several memorial sites for war casualties and the victims of tyranny and oppression. There is evidence that almost 330 architects and sculptors contributed their work. Since 1996, a small historical building hosts a funerary museum.

Cemetery Administration

Friedhof Ohlsdorf
Fuhlsbuttler Strasse 756
D-22337 Hamburg

Phone: +49 (0)40 59388-0
Fax: +49 (0)40 59388-888
Website: www.friedhof-hamburg.de

Friends of Ohlsdorf Cemetery

Forderkreis Ohlsdorfer Friedhof e.V.
Fuhlsbuttler Strasse 756
D-22337 Hamburg

Phone: +49 (0) 40 50053387 Website: www.fof-ohlsdorf.de

Opening hours

April to October from 8.00 to 21.00
November to March from 8.00 to 18.00

Office hours

Monday to Thursday from 9.00 to 16.00
Friday from 9.00 to 15.00

Tourist information

City Portal
www.hamburg.de

Tourist Information
www.hamburg-tourismus.de

Tourist and travel informations
international.hamburg.de

Public transpor
www.hvv.de