Zorgvlied, Cemetery at Amsteldijk, Netherlands
Zorgvlied is a cemetery on the left bank of the Amstel River, laid out in an English landscape style. Pathways wind through gardens and beneath old trees, while more than a thousand grave sites display different shapes and sizes.
Amstelveen founded the cemetery in 1870 on the grounds of a former villa. Expansions between 1892 and 1926 enlarged the site, while Amsterdam adjusted its boundaries in 1896 so that the place now lies within the city.
The name comes from an 18th-century villa and means "carefree love." Visitors notice helmet-shaped markers on war graves and elaborate monuments in a section called Paradiso, where unusual memorial designs are permitted.
The cemetery opens during daylight hours for visitors, and the paths are mostly level and easy to walk. Gemeente Amstelveen manages the grounds, even though they have belonged to Amsterdam for more than a century.
Many Dutch writers and theater artists rest here, and their graves draw readers and theater lovers. The gravestones of soldiers from the Second World War carry helmet shapes, which stand apart from the other monuments.
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