Johannisfriedhof, Dresden

St. John's Cemetery (German: Johannisfriedhof) ) is the second cemetery of the same name in Dresden, Saxony, Germany. It is located in the Tolkewitz district of the city. With its 24.6 hectares, the Evangelical Lutheran Johannisfriedhof was the largest cemetery in Dresden until the municipal non-denominational Heidefriedhof was established in 1934.[1]

Johannisfriedhof
The chapel of rest built by Paul Wallot in 1894
Details
Established1881
Location
Dresden
CountryGermany
Coordinates51°02′18″N 13°48′58″E
TypeProtestant cemetery
Owned byEvangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony
Size24.6 ha
WebsiteThe official website
Find a GraveJohannisfriedhof

History and description

The old burial ground of St. John's was inaugurated in 1575 and had to be expanded in 1633, 1680 and 1721 due to plague. Many prominent Dresden residents such as the builder of the iconic landmark church, baroque Frauenkirche, architect George Bähr, and the greatest Saxon organ builder, Gottfried Silbermann found their final resting place at the old burial ground. The cemetery was closed in 1814 due to lack of space and sanitary reasons, and thus neglected cemetery fell into disrepair. For this reason, the city management decided to relocate the cemetery in 1854, despite citizens' petitions and heavy protests. In 1875, the Protestant church acquired land in the Tolkewitz district in order to establish a new cemetery here to replace the old abandoned cemeteries of the Lutheran St. Johannes, Frauenkirche and Kreuzkirche parishes in Dresden which ran out of space.[2] The new burial ground was consecrated on May 16, 1881, by provost General-Superintendent Moritz Franz and the first burial was recorded on July 17 of the same year.[3] The designated historic landmark chapel with an impressive dome was built by Paul Wallot in 1894 in the Neo-Renaissance style.

A jury led by Lutheran bishop Margot Käßmann awarded the Johannisfriedhof as the most beautiful cemetery in Germany on November 8, 2011.[4]

Notable burials

List is sorted in order of the year of death.

  • Christ the Redeemer on a gravesite
    Christ the Redeemer on a gravesite
  • One of numerous grave monuments in Johannisfriedhof
    One of numerous grave monuments in Johannisfriedhof
  • A family mausoleum
    A family mausoleum
  • Resurrection angel
    Resurrection angel
  • Autumn in Johannisfriedhof
    Autumn in Johannisfriedhof

References
  1. "Brief history of Johannesfriedhof (in German)". Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  2. "Establishment of Johannesfriedhof (in German)". Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  3. "Consecration ceremony of Johannisfriedhof". Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  4. "Der Bestattungen.de-Award 2011". Retrieved 2023-09-25.
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