Vladslo German war cemetery, War cemetery in Diksmuide, Belgium.
Vladslo German War Cemetery is a burial ground in Flanders containing remains of soldiers who died during World War I. The graves are arranged in rows, with each stone marking the names and dates of multiple fallen servicemen.
The site was established during World War I as German soldiers fell in large numbers during fighting in Flanders. After the war ended, remains were gathered from smaller burial locations and consolidated at this place.
The bronze figures of Käthe Kollwitz and her husband Karl kneel on granite plinths at the entrance, carved from Belgian granite and installed here in 1958 after being moved from Esen-Roggeveld. The father's eyes are fixed on the grave of their son Peter, who fell in October 1914 and lies in Block 3, Grave 29. Kollwitz worked on the group from 1914 to 1932; a third figure of Peter was planned but never made.
The cemetery is open to the public and offers plenty of space for walking and viewing. The grounds are level and well maintained, making visits comfortable in any season.
The cemetery holds 25,645 soldiers, but only Peter Kollwitz, killed in October 1914, has a single grave marked by name in Block 3, Grave 29. His mother Käthe's sculpture The Grieving Parents was first placed at Esen-Roggeveld in 1932 and moved here in 1958. The figures' faces are those of Käthe and Karl Kollwitz.
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