The cemetery of Dorotheenstadt is located in the heart of Berlin. It is one of the most interesting cemeteries in Germany, and the final resting place of German playwright Bertolt Brecht.
The cemetery was established in 1762, and although it has only 300 graves, more German artists, philosophers, and politicians are buried here than anywhere else. The tombstones of this cemetery read like the Who's Who of Berlin's intellectual and artistic elite.
Stroll through the cemetery which is shaded by giant trees, and you'll discover the resting places of the philosophers Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Johann Gottlieb Fichte, of writers like Heinrich Mann and Arnold Zweig, or the former German President, Johannes Rau.
Highlights
- The highlight of the cemetery of Dorotheenstadt is the grave of Bertolt Brecht and his wife, the actress Helene Weigel.
The couple lived in the house right next to the cemetery. Fans of Brecht often leave red carnations on his grave, a symbol for his political views. - No flowers, but expensive cigars adorn the headstone of German dramatist and theatre director Heiner Müller, a trademark of this German artist.
- Another very impressive tomb here is the one of Karl Friedrich Schinkel, the German architect who designed many neoclassicist buildings in Berlin.
He did not only build the landmarks Gendarmenmarkt and the Old Museum, but he also designed his own gravestone.
Address: Chausseestraße 126, 10115 Berlin
Phone: 030 2826119
Subway: Take the U6 and get off at the station Zinnowitzer Straße
Opening Hours: In summer: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; in winter: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Tours: Check the bulletin board at the entrance of the cemetery for information about guided tours
