Not creepy Ohlsdorf cemetery
Hamburg's creative leaders cannot be blamed for the lack of parks in the city. City park, Planten und Blomen, parkland at the Alster lake, city park on Altona. But instead of all the listed parks, for some reason, I chose a cemetery as a green recreation area. I cannot provide objective justifications or expedient explanations in my defense. And no matter how magnificent the main parks of Hamburg shine, in my head, like a madman obsessed with private thinking, there is only my beloved Ohlsdorf.
Who came up with such a wonderful idea to make such a soulful park out of the cemetery, I have not yet recognized, but I would gladly shake hands and express immense gratitude without even getting up from my knees.
I see a warning in the eyes of the reader and the horror of condolences of especially impressionable persons.
Between us, since childhood, the primal fear of everything beyond the grave, ritual, satanic-demonic, crypts, graves and persistent exhortations of obsolete representatives of the world from the "other" side, and after reading in childhood the non-children's book "Phantasm" (I would remember the name of that librarians!! ) also with difficulty mastered panic fear of darkness, loneliness and the phrase “Raise my eyelids! ".
But it is this version of the cemetery that does not evoke anything similar inside me. In place of the mysteriously disappeared conservative feelings, appeasement, a craving for beauty and an itch to philosophize come, leaving not even a square centimeter for longing and melancholy.
I’ll immediately write down in the piggy bank of my excuses the fact that until the time indicated on the gates, cars scurry through its central overpasses and buses run.
Of course, the density of the pedestrian population is not impressive, but the feeling of being abandoned by humanity is not able to cover you here either. In addition, here and there you can always fix a “running man”, honing the skill and perfection of the body. If you have come to terms with the topic being described, then let's move on to a light drift around the world's largest park-cemetery, which has gathered on its territory a virgin forest and an open-air museum center.
Let's start clockwise and continue along the snail to the center.
If you approach the Ohlsdorf map, the last thing you think of is the cemetery. The plan is very reminiscent of a map-scheme of a huge park with squares, streets, chapels and even lakes.
Flora and fauna here prevail over the elements of the cemetery, and the burials themselves are not often seen here, and if you have to see them, it is only thanks to its magnificent artful design, which is a combination of architectural masterpiece and landscape skill. Marble statues, forged monograms and flower beds with roses, surrounded by designer cut bushes, will not let you pass by almost any tombstone. In the presence of burials of different eras, from the Bronze Age to the modern age. And if you are theoretically savvy, then you can easily find the graves of famous residents of Hamburg - Karl Hagenbeck, Heinrich Hertz or the famous German actor Hans Albers.
But having carried away the details, I moved away from the tour plan. Ohlsdorf park-cemetery of huge scale has at least 10 entrances and exits.
Some of them are tied to directions to the metro, and some are simply used by motorists for through travel. The gates are kept open from 8.00 to 21.00. The 17 km network of paths can be explored both by bicycle and by car. Hiking ventures are commendable, but not durable - you can get tired, especially since it is forbidden to take companions with collars here. The territory is served by 2 bus routes with a developed network of stops.
And, finally, what can a tourist do within Ohlsdorf?
If, after these descriptions, you, to the same extent as I, were not imbued with (okay, love) interest in this place, then I understand. Still, the theme of the attraction, even with such a pedigree and an enviable dowry, to put it mildly, is not in trend.
Having lowered the moans about “how beautiful”, you can pay attention to the Old Crematorium, built already in 1895, which is located 100 meters west of the main entrance. In those days, his popularity was not breathtaking, as the townspeople positioned themselves very skeptical in relation to such excesses. But the crematorium looks really impressive - it looks like a fantastic castle.
The cemetery has its own museum that tells about the history of the funeral business. More than a dozen chapels have been erected on the territory of the park, and almost reaching the lake zone, you can see a beautiful water tower of the late 19th century, reminiscent of buildings in Southern Europe. Well, for those who are greedy for big names, on the southwestern side of Ohlsdorf, the Jewish cemetery is separately fenced, where the uncle and aunt of the famous Heinrich Hein rest. That's basically it.
Well, if you still look here for a minute to check how close to reality my descriptions have taken root, look at the wonderful bridge 200 steps from the entrance, which is thrown over a narrow stream, refreshing the already juicy green color of Ohlsdorf, bursting with beauty . A charming forged frame with wooden flooring and intricate flowerpots has formed so organically with the world around it that it is not immediately possible to catch the blurred border between the natural and the human. And it is here, lingering for a moment, that I hope the kindest and most positive thoughts will come to you. After all, it’s hard not to open at least a narrow window of one’s nature in such a place, when a powerful natural flow of spiritual “vitamins” charges the soul and body almost for nothing.
