Waldfriedhof Dahlem, Cemetery in Dahlem, Germany
Waldfriedhof Dahlem is a burial ground in southwest Berlin that extends across a wooded area of roughly 7.5 hectares. The site follows curving paths between pines, spruces and other conifers, giving the terrain a parklike character.
Albert Brodersen, the royal garden director, drew up the design in 1929; construction ran from 1931 to 1933, and the cemetery opened in 1933. Brodersen died in 1930 and did not live to see the work or the opening. The chapel and the two gate buildings were added by Heinrich Schweitzer in 1931–1932. Since 1945 the grounds have also held 288 victims of war and tyranny in three plots.
The burial ground takes its name from the surrounding forest area and the Dahlem district in southwest Berlin. To this day, the planted paths and grave fields serve as a place of quietness for relatives and visitors.
The cemetery lies at Hüttenweg 47 on the edge of the Grunewald forest, reached from the long oval forecourt at the rear where the chapel stands. Two wide central avenues lined with Scots pines and Serbian spruces cross and divide the grounds into four main fields, so the layout is easy to follow on foot. The gate buildings of 1932 each hold a round-arch arcade, and the northern one contains a flower shop.
Among the trees rest figures such as cinematographer Michael Ballhaus and art collector Heinz Berggruen, whose graves are occasionally visited by passersby. The site also holds unmarked graves that include both former officials of the Nazi regime and their victims.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,392 contributors worldwide.
