Alter Friedhof Klein-Glienicke

Alter Friedhof Klein-Glienicke is a historic cemetery in Potsdam, near the Glienicke Bridge and Germany’s former divided frontier. The burial ground began in 1781 for Klein-Glienicke settlers and their relatives. Frederick II gave the land, linking the cemetery’s foundation to the settlement’s early history. Neubabelsberg gained a connection after its villa colony was founded in 1872. Many notable residents of Neubabelsberg were buried here, including Friedrich Sarre and Carl Saltzmann. Other named graves belong to Karl Hermann Struve, Alois Riehl, and Carl Stiller.

Political restrictions made the cemetery inaccessible for more than a quarter-century, while its monuments remained from an earlier era. The Berlin Wall crossed the area in 1961. Some graves were relocated or levelled, and later restoration rebuilt the brick enclosure and repaired wrought-iron fences. The bell tower received a thatched covering and a replica bell. Between Babelsberg Park and Glienicke Palace Gardens, the cemetery forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Since 2000, preservation work has continued through the Freundeskreis Kapelle und Alter Friedhof Klein-Glienicke e.V. The cemetery remains a place of remembrance and reflection, with work continuing on historical graves and site maintenance.