Criss-crossing the city’s cemeteries – Berlin’s burial places live up to great expectations – by OTA-Berlin Constituency Blog contributor Mr Jörn Meyer

February 22nd, 2012

Mausoleum Jewish Cementry in Weißensee from Wikipedia

Now with spring slowly approaching it seems a perfect time to tip-toe across some of Berlin’s romantic cemeteries, of which there are plenty. You don’t have to embark on a trip to Berlin Weissensee, which translates into ‘white lake’ and which is home to Europe’s biggest Jewish grave-yard. Though, it’s well worth the visit.

But no, you can stroll around Prenzlauer Berg or Mitte and still find a plethora of burial places. There is the Jewish cemetery on Schönhauser Allee for one. Adjacent to its Lapidarium lies a stunning array of trees and selpulchres. Straying further to the south-east, at the foot of Prenzlauer Alle you can head for the little cemetery just opposite the ‘members only’ Soho House. Here, beyond a tendril-furnished cottage you’ll stumble upon another hidden beauty.

Now slide south, tackle Torstrasse and limp into Linienstrasse where you walk way way west till you get to Kleine Rosenthaler Strasse, the corner of which is signposted by one of the few remaining squats – a bit of a landmark, really. On the latter street you take the first possible entrance to the left and enter into a beautiful silent yard – the old garrison cemetery. The last corpse was laid to rest here in 1946.

Face a leap of a good mile to the north-west and you not only end up with old aristocrats and army personnel but also encounter cemetery celebrity. For west to the bottom of Chausseestrasse is a line-up of Germany’s yesteryear intelligentsia, such as Berthold Brecht, to name just one. The B.B. house can be visited a few steps to the north.

A last word, if you allow: remember, no matter which of these places you decide to see - all of which are highly recommendable come rain or shine – please pay your due respect to the dead and all others who live there.

The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of OTA-Berlin but of the contributor – in this case Mr Jörn Meyer.
Blog articles and subsequent comments that appear on the site are not the opinion of OTA-Berlin but only of the comment writer. While we welcoming any linking to the blog the contents may only be reproduced or copied with the prior written permission of OTA-Berlin GmbH. www.ota-berlin.de. Copyright © 2012 OTA-Berlin GmbH
‘OTA-Berlin Constituency Blog’ is part of OTA-Berlin – ‘the intelligent Apartment-Alternative to Hotels’ in Berlin.

Criss-crossing the city’s cemeteries – Berlin’s burial places live up to great expectations – by OTA-Berlin Constituency Blog contributor Mr Jörn Meyer from OTA Berlin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany License. If you use this article or parts of it, please refer to http://www.ota-berlin.de.