Daleiden

The Volksbund began building this cemetery back in 1954, and when it was inaugurated in 1959, it was the largest military cemetery in the Federal Republic of Germany at the time. The cemetery is laid out as a circular cemetery and is located on the highest point of the site. The memorial, which can be seen from afar, was erected here in the form of an open columned hall. In the middle of the memorial is a Pieta created by Del Antonio Kunsmann from Wittlich in the Eifel region. The artist depicts the grief and suffering of mothers for their fallen sons using the example of the Virgin Mary holding her dead son in her arms. Until they were reburied in Daleiden, the fallen were buried in 72 smaller graves in the surrounding area. The rows of graves are arranged in the natural slope of the hillside along the contours of the hillside, with access paths to the individual graves marked with a name stone. A retaining wall with a rampart closes off the graves from the outside. Stations of the Cross lead to the cemetery. Photographs: Fritz Braun