Melaten cemetery


Melaten is the central cemetery of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which was first mentioned in 1243. It was developed to a large park, holding the graves of notable residents.

Name

The name "Melaten" refers to a hospital for the sick and lepers from the 12th century. The "hoff to Malaten" is first mentioned in a 1243 document.

Location

Melaten is in the north of the municipal district of Lindenthal. It is surrounded by streets, in the south, in the east Piusstraße, in the west Oskar-Jäger-Straße and the Melatengürtel, and in the north Weinsbergstraße. The 435,000-square-metre cemetery had 55,540 graves in 2008, and is the largest cemetery in the city.

History

Melaten is located approximately one kilometre west of the city district of Cologne, just beyond the, the historical boundary between the territory of the city and that of the archbishop. The hospital therefore fell under the jurisdiction of the archbishop, and was in spiritual hands.

Burials

Notable burials on Melaten include:
On the Cologne Stadtbahn, the nearest station to the cemetery is Melaten.