If so, let’s find out whether there is any cemetery in your vicinity that can be of interest to you. If you are in Berlin, Germany, then a visit to the Dorotheenstadt Cemetery is one of the activities that you should not miss. This cemetery is archeological sites and full of many important personalities as have been stated earlier. So, let us look at the four aspects which make the Dorotheenstadt Cemetery unique!
Location and History
The burial place in question is called the Dorotheenstadt Cemetery and it is situated in Berlin’s Mitte borough. The cemetery stands for 254 years having been established in 1763 and it is among the oldest cemetery in Berlin. This rests around 17 acres of land with Chausseestraße, the Friedrichstraße, and Liesenstraße running along the campus’ perimeter.
Initially it was the burial ground of Dorotheenstadt community and therefore took its name from there. It has gradually developed into the most popular burial place for many artists, writers, scientists and politicians.
Final Resting Place of Famous Figures
Most of the celebrities that have been buried here have significantly contributed to German culture and history are buried in this cemetery. The following personalities are also buried here:
- Bertolt Brecht also called as an epic playwright and poet of the modern German language literature, famous for “The Threepenny Opera.”
- Heinrich Mann: Celebrated writer and older brother of Nobel laureate Thomas Mann.
- Christa Wolf: Influential author and prominent figure in East German literature.
- Protestant theologian, who exerted much influence when the Protestantism was modernizing.
- Max Delbrück: Nobel Prize-winning biologist and one of the founders of molecular genetics.
- These are among the few people buried in the graves of the Dorotheenstadt Cemetery. This is a rather fascinating way visiting gravesites of such notable personalities.
Architectural and Artistic Significance
Apart from historical and cultural value, there are aesthetic and artistic elements that can be seen in the structures of the Dorotheenstadt Cemetery. There are also a number of prominent gravestones and monuments to be seen at the graves. Indeed there is the neoclassical style and the art nouveau and all the way to the modernist designs.
The Old Guard House is also considered one of the main monuments of the cemetery as it represent alone a kind of memorial with ashes of Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Heinrich Gentz. Constructed by the same architect- Karl Friedrich Schinkel, this neoclassical structure also contributes in making the cemetery majestic.
Tips for Visiting
Below here is some useful information that may help you to enjoy the visit to Dorotheenstadt Cemetery:
- It is advisable to dress comfortably for the feet in case there is some walking exercise to be made around the cemetery.
- For quicker and easy finding of the graves you can simply have a map or a map book or better still you can organize for a professional guided tour.
- Do not be loud and noisy, since you are in a holy ground, keep silent as most of the cemeteries are traditionally gloomy places.
- To capture the natural scenery, it may be recommended to visit particularly during the spring and autumn seasons because of the colors of trees.
- Peep at the shapes, designs, carving, engraving, inscriptions and arrangements of the tombstones and monuments.
It is evident that the Dorotheenstadt Cemetery is a history place that also contains other values in art and history. It gives a closer look as to how different personalities from different fields live. Besides, it is knowledge-enhancing and recreational since visiting this extraordinary cemeteries improves the understanding of Germany’s cultural past and offers an opportunity for quiet contemplation.
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