We introduce you to special gravestones in Düsseldorf cemeteries

Cemeteries and their gravestones are not only the final resting place of the deceased, but also a testimony to different eras. Impressive sculptures line up next to simple gravestones, elaborate plantings meet abandoned graves and words of farewell carved in stone commemorate the deceased. Cemeteries are full of stories. We have selected six gravesites for you that are well worth a visit.

Die Toten Hosen - South Cemetery

"Youʼll never walk alone" - the soccer anthem can be heard at the end of every Tote Hosen concert. And it is inscribed on the black gravestone that adorns the resting place of Hosen driver Uwe Faust. He is the first person to be buried on the burial plot that the band bought at the Südfriedhof cemetery in 2001. In 2015, Hosen manager Jochen Hülder followed, followed a year later by ex-Toten Hosen drummer Wolfgang "Wölli" Rohde. The musicians and their crew consider themselves family, even after death.

Maximilian Friedrich Weyhe - Golzheim cemetery

Without him, neither the Hofgarten nor Benrath Palace Park would exist. Maximilian Weyhe was one of the most renowned garden artists of the 19th century. He planned a total of 25 gardens for Düsseldorf, including the Schwanenspiegel and the Kö-Graben. The Bonn-born artist was laid to rest in 1845 in the Golzheim cemetery, which is one of the most important cultural and historical cemeteries in North Rhine-Westphalia. 

Fritz Henkel - North Cemetery

Fritz Henkel was a visionary. He not only founded the Henkel detergent and adhesives company, but also had a tomb built a few years before his death in 1930. The open structure is reminiscent of a temple covered by a glass dome. Inside is a female figure made of white marble. It can be found in the North Cemetery.  

Rosemarie Nitribitt - North Cemetery

She knew their secrets, she saw into their abysses. Rosemarie Nitribitt consorted with important personalities from business and politics. This was presumably her undoing - in 1957, the high-class prostitute was found strangled in her Frankfurt apartment at the age of 24. There are many rumors surrounding her death and her story inspired several feature films and a musical. Born in Düsseldorf, she rests in the North Cemetery.

Andreas Achenbach - North Cemetery

Andreas Achenbach became a student at the Düsseldorf Art Academy at the age of twelve. Four years later, he impressed the art world with his "View of the Old Academy Building". Achenbach developed into an outstanding representative of 19th century European landscape painting and had a decisive influence on the Düsseldorf school of painting. He died in Düsseldorf in 1910. A mourning angel by sculptor Karl Janssen stands guard over his grave of honor in the North Cemetery.

Kay and Lore Lorentz - Heerdt cemetery

In the back room of a Düsseldorf pub in 1947, Kay and Lore Lorentz founded the "Kom(m)ödchen", which today - run by their son Kay - is one of the most renowned cabaret theaters in Germany. Lore Lorentz herself was in the spotlight with more than 40 programs. She became the "Grand Dame" of German cabaret and was regarded as a teacher and role model by many up-and-coming artists. The couple are buried in Heerdt.

Tip: The Kunstpalast's current exhibition "Death & the Devil" is not just about death, but about the horror inherent in it. 120 works are on display, ranging from sculptures and paintings to pop-cultural artifacts such as fashion and film posters. The exhibition runs until January 21, 2024.

All photos (except South Cemetery) courtesy of the Düsseldorf Cemetery Office, photos: Melanin Zanin.

The article (from 2020) was updated on the occasion of the "Death & Devil" exhibition.