Alter Friedhof Durlach, former cemetery and park in Durlach, Karlsruhe, Germany

The Alter Friedhof Durlach is a former cemetery in Durlach, now part of Karlsruhe, converted after World War II into a park with a playground. The grounds lie outside the former town wall, and the Nikolauskapelle nearby was first mentioned in 1535. A curving gravel path bordered by mown grass leads past light stone grave markers and a rectangular stone monument base, with a church tower with a grey pointed spire and clock faces behind trees.

The cemetery was first mentioned in 1577, lay outside the Durlach town wall and reached as far as the St. Peter and Paul church. It was enlarged three times early on because of population growth, a last time in 1862, with final construction in 1892. In 1898 the town council decided to close it; the new Bergfriedhof Durlach opened in 1902. The cemetery chapel was used by the Old Catholic community until World War II.

The cemetery chapel was used by the Old Catholic community until the Second World War. Among those buried here were Sigemund Klose (1623–1702), physician and personal doctor to the Margrave of Baden, and Ludwig von Liebenstein (1781–1824), a Baden member of the state parliament. Since 1988 the Basler-Tor-Brunnen by Karlsruhe artist Ulrich J. Sekinger stands directly beside the former cemetery grounds.

The grounds are now easily accessible as a green park in Karlsruhe and open to all visitors. You will find walking paths, lawns, and a play area for children, while the old stones and chapel reveal the site's historical nature.

The cemetery chapel was used by the Old Catholic community until the Second World War. Two named burials are recorded: Sigemund Klose (1623–1702), physician and personal and court doctor to the Margrave of Baden, and Ludwig von Liebenstein (1781–1824), a Baden member of the state parliament.