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Invalids' Cemetery

Invalidenfriedhof (Invalids' Cemetary) in Berlin-Mitte

The Invalidenfriedhof (Invalids' Cemetery) in Berlin-Mitte is one of Berlin's oldest cemeteries and is the final resting place of many Berlin personalities as well as a memorial site. Parts of the cemetery are located on the former death strip.

The Invalids' Cemetery, established in 1748, was once part of the Prussian army's Invalids' House, which was built by Frederick II in 1747/48 and where war invalids could spend their twilight years. The Invalids' House included a Protestant and a Catholic church, which became its own parish in 1860. In addition to the Catholic invalids, the parish also included the inhabitants of Berlin living in the northern districts.

Resting place for high-ranking military officers

After the Wars of Liberation in 1813/15, it was mainly high-ranking military personnel who found their final resting place here, followed by civilians from the end of the 19th century. The expansion of the civilian community meant that of the total of 30,000 burials, around one third had to be allocated to the Invalids' House and two thirds to the civilian community.

In what is now Field C of the Invalids' Cemetery, a place of honor was created for personalities who had played an outstanding role in the Wars of Liberation. Field A remained the preferred field of the Invalids' House, while Field B was reserved for the civilian community for a long time. As there was a shortage of space due to the increasing number of burials, the cemetery was extended after 1870.

German division: Invalidenfriedhof becomes the death strip

Important personalities from Berlin's city history have found their final resting place in the Invalidenfriedhof cemetery; some graves have been preserved. The cemetery was closed in 1951 and all graves from before 1925 were leveled.

On August 13, 1961, the day the Wall was built, there were 3,000 graves in the Invalids' Cemetery; due to its direct location on the Wall, large areas were declared a border area, with fields E, F and G belonging to the so-called death strip. In the years that followed, the Invalidenfriedhof was vandalized and numerous grave monuments and memorial stones were removed, so that today only 200 graves remain.

Scharnhorst tomb: A monument from Schinkel's pen

The most important monument in the cemetery complex emerged undamaged from the destruction during the GDR era: The tomb of General Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst (1755-1813), erected in 1834 by Christian Daniel Rauch to a design by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The final resting place is a marble sarcophagus resting on two 5.60 m high pedestals, which serves as a support for a frieze in relief. The frieze scenes from Scharnhorst's life were designed by Friedrich Tieck. The lion resting on this frieze, modeled in 1828, is based on a design by Christian Daniel Rauch.

The tombs of Lieutenant General Hans Karl von Winterfeldt (1707-57) and the cast iron tomb of the Prussian Minister of War Job von Witzleben (1783-1837) are also worthy of note.