Development and design

History

Ruhleben Cemetery: Origins, development, design and the present-day character of the cemetery.

On this page

Origins and development

The cemetery opened on 17 August 1952; its crematorium has operated since 1975 and a Buddhist burial field since 2003.

Origins: 17 August 1952. The cemetery is in Westend (Ruhleben locality), Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf borough, at Am Hain 1, 13597 Berlin. Its area is approximately 13.9 hectares.

Design and present-day character

A park cemetery with woodland character, a crematorium and dedicated burial fields and communal plots.

Read this character description together with the development of Ruhleben Cemetery: it identifies what gives the grounds their present identity without turning the cemetery into a purely historical attraction. A visit can focus on spatial structure and named orientation points while leaving individual graves undisturbed.

Connect the account with the grounds

The cemetery map contains 8 named places for Ruhleben Cemetery. Among them are Entrance 1, Chapel, Cemetery map. Use these names to relate the historical account to locations visible during a visit, without assuming that every historical feature has its own marker.

Continue the visit

The cemetery tour turns selected named points at Ruhleben Cemetery into a practical visit outline. For access questions or information tied to present cemetery operations, contact Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Borough Office, Cemetery Administration rather than drawing operational conclusions from the historical account.