Description
Ohlsdorf Cemetery is located in the quarter of Ohlsdorf in Hamburg. It is Europe's largest cemetery followed by the Vienna Central Cemetery with most people buried here being civilians, apart from the large number of victims of war. Famous people buried here include the German entertainer Heinz Erhardt, musician Roger Cicero and politician Helmut Schmidt.
The Ohlsdorf Cemetery was established in 1877 and now spans about 961 acres with 12 chapels and streets with a total length of 17 km. Besides its existence as burial ground, the cemetery is used as a recreational area and tourist attraction. Ponds and birds, sculptures, a museum, impressive mausoleums, bushes, and different woods and trees await its visitors being about two million people annually coming from all over the world.
Cemetery Museum
Some inhabitants of Hamburg with the strong interesent in preserving the cemetery opened the Museum of the Ohlsdorf Cemetery, which is dedicated to raising public interest for the cemetery itself and to promoting funeral culture. Opened in 1996, the museum's displays focus on the history of the city's cemetery culture, which was the first American-style park cemetery in Germany. Its road network is also characteristic: the paths cross the cemetery in east-west or north-south direction, resulting in chessboard parcels.
How to get there
By car
Ohlsdorf cemetery is located in the north of Hamburg, close to the airport. All twelve chapels can be reached by car. Parking spaces are also available there. Another parking lot is located at the main entrance at Fuhlsbüttler Straße. The other three entrances are located at Wellingsbütteler Landstraße/Borstels Ende, Seehofstraße/Fabriciusstraße and Bramfelder Chaussee.
By public transport
Take tram lines S1 and S11 to Ohlsdorf station, which is located directly at the main entrance. Further entrances are at the Forum Ohlsdorf, Eichenlohweg, Kleine Horst and Hoheneichen. The bus lines 170 and 270 run on the grounds of the cemetery.