Gießen Neuer Friedhof am Rodtberg

Cemetery description

In the New Cemetery in Gießen (Neuer Friedhof am Rodtberg) four war grave sites house 1,400 graves of victims of both World Wars.
The graves of Polish citizens can mainly be found in section I N, called the ‘Cemetery of Labourers from the East’ (‘Ehrenfriedhof Ostarbeiter’). Buried here are approximately 260 prisoners of war and forced labourers from the USSR and Poland in particular. The triangle burial site, located in the second row, to the right of the main entrance, was situated, during World War II, on the edge of the Jewish cemetery. As of 1941, it was a burial place for foreign persons. In its central part there is a black granite memorial obelisk bearing an inscription that says: ‘In memory of all the Russian citizens buried here between 1941-1945.’ The graves, arranged in rows, are marked by stone crosses or their remains (their state of preservation is very poor - the stone is weathered, mossy and disintegrated). The names of some of the dead victims, more than 20 of whom are Polish, have been engraved in brass plates flush with the earth.
The graves of Polish citizens can also be found in sections VE and VF with graves of victims of the Giessen air raids. This large burial site occupies the central part of the cemetery. There are several stone crosses there (in a poor technical state) and rows of graves marked by metal plates bearing the names of the dead victims. The war grave sites contain information boards bearing short pieces of information about the victims buried in the cemetery, and explaining the historical context of some of the war time events. The state of preservation of both war grave sites is unsatisfactory. However, mention must be made of some press articles stating the town’s plans to revitalise these sites (data from 2017).

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