Hamburg Cemetery

• Country Germany
• Total identified casualties 2096 Find these casualties
• Region Hamburg
• Identified casualties from First & Second World War
• GPS Coordinates Latitude: 53.61975, Longitude: 10.03544

Location information

Hamburg is a large city in the north of Germany, approx 150kms to the north of Hannover. Hamburg Ohlsdorf Cemetery (Friedhof Ohlsdorf) is the biggest non-military cemetery in the world. There are 3 Commonwealth War Graves plots located within Hamburg Ohlsdorf Cemetery:- Hamburg Cemetery Ohlsdorf 1914-1918 / Hamburg Cemetery Ohlsdorf 1939-1945 / Hamburg Cemetery Ohlsdorf Post War. From the A7 Hannover to Hamburg motorway take exit 23 (Ausfahrt 23) B432 NORDERSTEDT / HAMBURG AIRPORT / LANGENHORN. Follow the signs for B432 HAMBURG AIRPORT / LANGENHORN along the OLDESLOERSTRASSE. After approx 1.5kms keep right onto the B433 SWEBENWEG and continue to follow the signs for HAMBURG AIRPORT / LANGENHORN. Continue for approx 1.5kms and keep left onto the KROHNSTEIG for approx 2.5kms until the junction with LAGENHORNER CHAUSEE. Turn right onto the LAGENHORNER CHAUSEE and continue for approx 2kms. Turn left onto ERDKAMPSEWEG direction BARMBEK and continue for approx 2kms, during which the road name changes to RATSMUHLENDAMM and then FUHLBUTTLERSTRASSE. Immediately before the railway bridge turn right (signposted FRIEDHOF OHLSDORF) onto IM GRUNEN GRUNDE and continue for approx 500m. Turn left onto ALSTERDORFER STRASSE, go under the railway bridge and continue for 200m to the junction with FUHLBUTTLERSTRASSE. The main entrance to Hamburg Ohlsdorf Cemetery (Friedhof Ohlsdorf) is directly in front of you. The 3 Commonwealth war graves plots are located approx 3kms from the main entrance and are clearly signposted. Follow direction for KAPELLE 12 for approx 2.5kms along the CORDESALLEE / SUDALLEE / MITTELALLEE, turn right and continue past KAPELLE 12, turn right onto LARCHENALLEE and after approx 300m the cemeteries can be found on the left and right. Visitors are advised that there is a strictly controlled 30km/hour speed limit within the boundaries of Hamburg Ohlsdorf Cemetery (Friedhof Ohlsdorf). Please note also that it is illegal to turn left from FUHLBUTTLERSTRASSE into the Hamburg Ohlsdorf Cemetery (Friedhof Ohlsdorf) The cemetery address is:- Friedhof Ohlsdorf Fuhlsbuttlerstrasse 756 22337 Hamburg Germany GPS Location is:- N 53 37 20 E 10 04 01

Visiting information

Cemetery Opening Hours:

Summer (April to Oct): 09.00 to 21.00 (7 days a week)

Winter (November to March): 09.00 to 18.00 (7 days a week)

The Commission plot is signposted in the Cemetery and is located 300 metres from the Chapel.

Wheelchair access possible via main entrance. For further information regarding wheelchair access, please contact our Enquiries Section on telephone number 01628 507200.

History information

During the First World War, Hamburg Cemetery was used for the burial of over 300 Allied servicemen (of which 52 were Commonwealth) who died as prisoners of war. These original 52 graves are now in Plot 1, Row A, Row B and part of Row C. In 1923, it was decided that the graves of Commonwealth servicemen who had died all over Germany should be brought together into four permanent cemeteries. Hamburg was one of those chosen, and burials were brought into the cemetery from 120 burial grounds* in Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg, Oldenburg, Hanover, Saxony, Brunswick and Westphalia. The majority died as prisoners, but a few were sailors whose bodies were washed ashore on the Frisian Islands.

* The following cemeteries are among those from which graves were brought to Hamburg:-

GUSTROW PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, Mecklenburg-Schwerin. 59 burials of 1914-1918. Gustrow was one of the main camps in which prisoners in Germany were held.

HANNOVER (LIMMER) MILITARY CEMETERY, Hannover. 31 burials of 1914-1918.

HELIGOLAND CHURCHYARD, Helgoland. One burial of 1916.

MINDERHEIDE PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, Westphalia. 55 burials of 1916-1918.

MUNSTER CAMP PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, Hannover. 130 burials of 1917-1919.

PARCHIM PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, Mecklenburg Schwerin. 83 burials of 1917-1919.

SOLTAU PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, Hannover. 25 burials of 1916-1918.

VERDEN GARRISON CEMETERY, Hannover. 29 burials of 1916-1918.

There are now 708 First World War servicemen buried or commemorated in the Commonwealth plot at Hamburg. This total includes special memorials to three casualties buried in Parchim Prisoners of War Cemetery whose graves could not be found, and 25 unidentified sailors whose remains were recovered from HM Submarine E24, which was sunk by a mine off Heligoland in March 1916, when the vessel was raised in July 1974.

The Commonwealth section of the cemetery also contains 1,466 Second World War burials, mostly of servicemen who died with the occupying forces, or airmen lost in bombing raids over Germany. There are also 378 post Second World War graves and 14 war graves of other nationalities.