Grabkapelle, Gothic Revival mausoleum in Hardtwald forest, Karlsruhe, Germany

Grabkapelle is a mausoleum designed in the Gothic Revival style, located at the end of Lärchenallee within the Hardtwald forest area. The structure features a tall crossing tower and decorative stonework including gargoyles and dragon sculptures on its exterior.

Built between 1889 and 1896 by Hermann Hemberger from preliminary designs by Franz Baer and Friedrich Hemberger, the chapel was commissioned by Grand Duke Friedrich I and his wife Luise of Prussia after the early death of their youngest son, Ludwig Wilhelm, in 1888. Members of the house who died before 1888 were first buried in the crypt of Karlsruhe's Protestant city church and moved here only after the Second World War. The last burial in the crypt took place in 1952.

The chapel's name, Großherzogliche Grabkapelle, means Grand Ducal Burial Chapel. In the upper church, look for stone lizards carved into the leaves of the apse frieze, and four angel heads of pale yellow limestone at the crossing. The marble tombs of Prince Ludwig Wilhelm, Grand Duke Friedrich I and Luise of Prussia were made by sculptor Hermann Volz.

The chapel stands on the Lärchenallee at the edge of the Fasanengarten, between Adenauerring and Klosterweg, opposite the Hans-Dickmann-Kolleg. The upper church opens from April to October; the crypt can be seen only on special guided tours. The building was closed in 2024 for section-by-section restoration and has been accessible again since April 2025.

In the leaves of the apse frieze in the upper church, stone lizards are hidden among the foliage carvings. The four angel heads at the crossing are cut from pale yellow limestone, and the upper colonnade is made of shimmering black labrador stone.