Ostfriedhof (Cologne)

The Cologne East Cemetery is a cemetery in the central urban rechtsrheinischen part of Cologne. It is located in Dellbrueck district, near the Dell Mauspfad in the district of Mülheim.

General

The Eastern Cemetery was created in 1946, when it became a lack of space on the then existing right bank cemeteries. The Erstbestattung in 1948, the ceremonial hall of the cemetery was only completed in 1955. The entire burial site is approximately 59 acres in size and was designed as a forest cemetery. The plant was in the right bank of the green belt on a partially wooded area, which is part of the foothills of the nearby royal forest. Today, large parts of the cemetery and the surrounding areas are covered with mixed forest, which makes the Ostfriedhof one of the most beautiful regions cemeteries in the Cologne metropolitan area. With currently about 20,000 graves occupied the space capacity of the cemetery is running at only about one-tenth, all corridors remain until now unused and invite for strolls or mushroom-picking. For this reason, considering the city of Cologne to outsource unused wood pieces from the graveyard and add the adjacent woodland areas. Since March 2006 also collects anonymous urn burials under trees are possible on the East Cemetery beside traditional burial options.

Tumuli on the Eastern Cemetery

Several blank grave fields on the Ostfriedhof have a slightly hilly relief; this goes to hundreds of burial mounds in the area of the cemetery back to v. From the 12th century AD here and partly arisen in other rechtsrheinischen parts of present-day Cologne ( to prehistoric mounds in the city of Cologne see also History of the City of Cologne # The prehistoric Cologne). Altogether there are estimated to be 1200 barrows alone on the present site of the Ostfriedhofs, far more so than could be detected so far. The grave mound preserved today can be seen for example in the vicinity of the main entrance and hallways 43 near the mourning hall.

Memorial for forced laborers

In the north of the cemetery, on Bensberger Marktweg recalls a memorial of Joseph Höntgesberg to the forced laborers in the camp from 1943 to 1945 working here for the Radium had (1993).

Tombs of important people

At the Cologne Ostfriedhof been found, inter alia, the following celebrities their final resting:

• Jupp Elze, Boxer (hall 18)
• Heinz Kühn, Prime Minister of North Rhine -Westphalia (hall 29)