Ehrenfriedhof Heidelberg, Military cemetery in Heidelberg, Germany.
Ehrenfriedhof Heidelberg is a military cemetery above the Weststadt district of Heidelberg, on the Ameisenbuckel at about 295 metres, above the Bergfriedhof. Its rectangular court of honour is formed by 28 stone honour tablets and ends at a semicircular terrace with a 20-tonne stone block as a dead altar; the grave fields lie to either side.
The Ehrenfriedhof Heidelberg was laid out from 1933 to 1935 on the Ameisenbuckel above the Bergfriedhof, on a decision of the city council and citizens' committee of 22 May 1933. Plans came from Fritz Haller and Paul Bonatz; 423 workers moved 23,000 cubic metres of earth and set 544 stone crosses. On 28 October 1934, 498 fallen soldiers were transferred from the Neuenheimer Feld cemetery, joined by 22 reburials from the Bergfriedhof and abroad. Later, soldiers of the Second World War were also buried here.
The cemetery is a place that locals visit not only on remembrance days but also for quiet walks along its shaded paths. Inscriptions in several languages on the headstones reflect the many nationalities buried here.
The cemetery lies at about 295 metres on the Ameisenbuckel above the Bergfriedhof, in Heidelberg's Weststadt; the Ehrenhof axis points toward the Christuskirche tower. The grounds cover over 17 hectares on a wooded slope, so allow time for the climb and wear firm footwear. The 28 honour tablets line the rectangular court, with the grave fields to either side.
A colony of ring-necked parakeets, bright green birds originally from South Asia and Africa, has made its home among the old trees here. Their calls are especially loud in the early morning, which can catch first-time visitors off guard in such a solemn setting.
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