Old Jewish Cemetery (Alter Juedischer Friedhof)

The Old Jewish Cemetery is one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Berlin. It was built in 1672 and contains the grave of Moses Mendelssohn, a philosopher and the forefather of Jewish Enlightenment in the 1700s. It is estimated that around 12,000 Jewish people are buried here from the years 1672 to 1827. Unfortunately the cemetery was destroyed during World War II, and the site was used as a holding place for Jews before they were deported to concentration camps. The cemetery was reopened in 2008.
Since the cemetery suffered so much destruction during the war, not much remains of the original graves. Memorial plaques have been put up to honor Mendelssohn and other notable people who were buried at the Old Jewish Cemetery. Several thousand World War II soldiers ended up being buried here as well. Other memorial plaques and monuments here honor the Jewish community that once lived in this area and were deported during the war.

Practical Info

The Old Jewish Cemetery is located at Große Hamburger Straße 26-27.