The Heidelberg Bergfriedhof is an oasis of peace.
With a network of paths more than 20 kilometres long, the cemetery offers many opportunities for extensive walks.
Many famous personalities have found their final resting place at the Heidelberg Mountain Cemetery on Rohrbacher Straße, including the Heidelberg native and first Reich President Friedrich Ebert, the scientists Robert Bunsen and Carl Bosch, the astronomer Max Wolf, the sociologist Max Weber, the great conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler and the poet Hilde Domin - to name just a few names.
The cemetery, which covers about 15 hectares, was designed by the garden architect Johann Metzger in 1842. The cemetery was inaugurated in 1844. The architect adapted the cemetery to the landscape, creating a romantic overall picture, which is why the cemetery is considered one of the most beautiful in Germany. The mountain cemetery is also known for a large and sometimes quite noisy population of collared parakeets.
At regular intervals, the City of Heidelberg's Landscape and Forestry Office invites visitors to take guided walks through the Bergfriedhof. For more information, visit www.heidelberg.de/friedhof.
Intangible UNESCO cultural heritage
German cemetery culture is an intangible UNESCO cultural heritage site
The Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs designated German cemetery culture as an intangible cultural heritage site in March 2020 on the recommendation of the German UNESCO Commission. Two aspects of the way the dead are treated in this country are unique in the world: first, the embedding of graves in park landscapes, and second, the design of graves as small gardens of remembrance. Nowhere else do garden and stone elements combine to form such individual graves as in Germany.
On the occasion of the designation, an appropriate sign will be placed at the main entrance of the Bergfriedhof - representing all Heidelberg cemeteries. It is intended to draw attention to the importance of cemetery culture.
Many famous personalities have found their final resting place at the Heidelberg Mountain Cemetery on Rohrbacher Straße, including the Heidelberg native and first Reich President Friedrich Ebert, the scientists Robert Bunsen and Carl Bosch, the astronomer Max Wolf, the sociologist Max Weber, the great conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler and the poet Hilde Domin - to name just a few names.
The cemetery, which covers about 15 hectares, was designed by the garden architect Johann Metzger in 1842. The cemetery was inaugurated in 1844. The architect adapted the cemetery to the landscape, creating a romantic overall picture, which is why the cemetery is considered one of the most beautiful in Germany. The mountain cemetery is also known for a large and sometimes quite noisy population of collared parakeets.
At regular intervals, the City of Heidelberg's Landscape and Forestry Office invites visitors to take guided walks through the Bergfriedhof. For more information, visit www.heidelberg.de/friedhof.
Intangible UNESCO cultural heritage
German cemetery culture is an intangible UNESCO cultural heritage site
The Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs designated German cemetery culture as an intangible cultural heritage site in March 2020 on the recommendation of the German UNESCO Commission. Two aspects of the way the dead are treated in this country are unique in the world: first, the embedding of graves in park landscapes, and second, the design of graves as small gardens of remembrance. Nowhere else do garden and stone elements combine to form such individual graves as in Germany.
On the occasion of the designation, an appropriate sign will be placed at the main entrance of the Bergfriedhof - representing all Heidelberg cemeteries. It is intended to draw attention to the importance of cemetery culture.
