This grave site has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since September 2023.
With 24,917 fallen soldiers, the common grave in Langemark is the largest in a German military cemetery. The site in Flanders was established in 1915.
Cemetery description
The Langemark war cemetery is located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The site was completely renovated in 2015. In addition to the restoration of an inner courtyard in the entrance area and the renovation of the entrance building, the gravestones were relocated, the paths were renovated and the green areas were restored. A small square was created at the central communal grave. The group of figures "Mourning Soldiers" by the Munich sculptor Emil Krieger has since been returned to its original location, the communal grave. Similar motifs by other artists can be found at German military cemeteries in Quero, Pordoi and Lommel.
Occupancy
44,304 German soldiers who fell in the First World War during the Battle of Flanders in 1914 are buried in Langemark. The fallen whose personal details were known at the time of reburial were buried in individual graves, while all those unknown were buried in the large common grave. With 24,917 fallen soldiers, it is the largest in a German military cemetery.
History
From October to November 1914, the so-called First Battle of Flanders raged during the First World War. A particularly costly German attack took place on November 10 near the former village of Langemark. The regiments involved were largely made up of young volunteers. The Supreme Army Command (OHL) propagandistically glorified the mass death of the soldiers into the "myth of Langemark". At the end of the First World War, there were German military cemeteries in 678 municipalities and districts in Belgium, 15 larger sites were located in the Langemark area. The cemetery was created in 1915 from a small group of graves. The number of German cemeteries was significantly reduced at the request of the Belgian government. in 1919/20, the Belgian burial service interred German casualties in Langemark and dissolved existing facilities. The Langemark German military cemetery was officially opened on July 10, 1932. Between 1956 and 1958, the German fallen were transferred from the 128 existing cemeteries to the three German military cemeteries in Langemark, Menen and Vladslo in Flanders.
Since 1990, the Langemark cemetery has been a care cemetery for the North Rhine-Westphalia branch of the Volksbund.
Special feature
On October 12, 2019, the ceremonial burial of the remains of 84 German soldiers from the First World War took place in Langemark. The dead had been found during archaeological work at the former "Hill 80" position near Wijtschate (Heuvelland). People from all over Europe took part in the recovery of the dead. In a transnational crowdfunding project, volunteers recovered German, British, French and South African bodies under scientific supervision and documented their findings. The Volksbund supported the project with 25,000 euros.
In September 2023, UNESCO declared 139 First World War cemeteries as World Heritage Sites. 24 German cemeteries are in the care of the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V. - Langemark is one of them.
