Development of the cemetery
- 1874
Cemetery of the municipality of Schwabing
The cemetery of the then independent municipality already existed before it was incorporated into the larger complex.
- 1896–1899
Buildings by Hans Grässel
The funeral hall, mortuary and perimeter wall were built to designs by municipal architect Hans Grässel.
- 1899
Opening of Nordfriedhof
The cemetery has been extended nine times since it opened.
- 1950
Memorial grove for air-raid victims
A burial site for 2,099 victims was redesigned as a memorial grove with a bronze monument by Hans Wimmer.
- 1962
Urn hall
An urn hall designed by Eugen Jacoby was added to the grounds.
- 2019–2020
Return of the sphinxes
The two reconstructed sculptures were returned to the funeral hall portal.
Architecture and spatial character
The octagonal dome of the funeral hall is Nordfriedhof’s landmark. Hans Grässel drew on Early Christian buildings: the order of pillars and columns inside refers to San Vitale in Ravenna, while other elements recall Sant’Apollinare in Classe.
Steps lead from the domed building into the forum. Symmetry, urn walls, urn halls and fountains structure the grounds. The original dome painting was covered with white paint during alterations in 1958.
Literature and remembrance
Thomas Mann adapted the funeral hall in his novella “Death in Venice”. In the northern grounds, the memorial grove commemorates victims of aerial warfare; 2,099 people are buried there.
The cemetery tour links the funeral hall, sphinxes, urn walls, urn hall and memorial grove on the map.