Invalidenfriedhof, or Invalid's Cemetery in English, was my last stop of the day before I grabbed dinner. It was only a 3 minute walk from Invalidenpark, so I decided to stop in. Established in 1748 (it's older than the USA), Invalidenfriedhof is one of Berlin's oldest cemeteries and is the resting place of Prussian soldiers. Since then World War I commanders and senior Nazi officials are also buried here. After World War II the allies had all the monuments of Nazi members be removed although their bodies are still at rest in the cemetery.
The cemetery is also placed close to the Berlin Wall which caused destruction to some of the grounds as a result of watch towers, barracks, and roads being built in the 1960s. Restoration began in the 90s when Germany became reunified again. Walking around I noticed there was a large grassy area. with a few headstones throughout. I thought it was just an area for my graves but apparently it contains an unmarked mass grave to those who died from allied Air Raids.
The cemetery also contains part of the Berlin wall, which I saw but didn't think it was what it is. I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't do research for any of these cemeteries beforehand, otherwise, I would have understood their history and known better what I was looking at. Doing research, though, overwhelms me because there is so much to see and do, but also most "must see" places are overrated tourist stops that only require about a day for me.
Do you do research before visiting a place?
The statues are stunning! I never do research before I visit places, but then when I found out more information I kind of wish I had.
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