The eastern part of the St Martin’s Evangelical Church Cemetery (St. Martini Friedhof) holds the graves of Polish and Soviet forced labourers. It is marked by 39 headstones that bear the names of the deceased and the names of their country of origin.
The largest group of those buried here are Poles - 24 persons, although the headstones of some of them describe them as Soviets. This burial site is the final resting place for 46 forced labourers (in many cases these were young persons) who, during World War II, worked in Stadthagen and its neighbourhood. According to the archival materials, the cemetery contains the graves of 30 Poles, including four children who were born in Germany.
Next to the three rows of headstones is a plaque that provides some information about the graves that can be found in this burial site, as well as the fate of approximately 600 forced male and female forced labourers that worked in Stadthagen. The graves of those who died while doing their forced labour and as a result of the war activities should serve as a warning for the generations to come. The burial site is well maintained and the state of the headstones is good (September 2022).
Cemetery address: Stadthagen, Lower Saxony
Am Kirhchof
31655 Stadthagen
GPS: 52.324384, 9.210648
Cemetery administration: Friedhofsverwaltung der St. Martini Kirchengemeinde,
www.stmartini-stadthagen.de/friedhof/,
friedhof(a)stmartini-stadthagen.de,
Schulstraße 18, 31655 Stadthagen,
