Cemetery section for air raid dead in Hamburg / Harburg
Pictures and text by Mark R. Hatlie
These pictures were taken on 26 April, 2007 in the new cemetery in the Harburg section of Hamburg.
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The first two photos show a stained glass windown on the inside of the Harburg city hall. |
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It reads, "The city hall was built in 1890-92, destroyed by bombs in 1944, and rebuilt in 1945-49. / May this house and the city be preserved from calamity in the future." ("Das Rathaus wurde 1890-92 erbaut, 1944 durch Bomben zerstört, 1945-49 wieder aufgebaut. / Möge dieses Haus und die Stadt in Zukunft vor Unheil bewahrt bleiben.") |
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The plot at the cemetery is marked with a simple sign reading, "Bombing victim graves" ("Bombenopfergräber"). |
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The stones have one name each and most are dated from 1944. Some of the stones are marked "unknown" ("unbekannt"). |
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A few stones have been re-done and preserved, presumably by relatives. |
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Across the pathway from the field of graves, there is this upraised grass mound with a small memorial. |
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The memorial shows the Greek letters "alpha" and "omega", symoblizing "beginning and end" and a quote from Eduard Mörike, a southern German poet (1804-1875), "Lord, may into your hands / beginning and end / of everything be given" ("Herr dir in die Hände sei Anfgang und Ende sei alles gelegt". The entire poem from which this is taken is below. |
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Here's another non-standard one, probably done by the family. Under the name (a Polish name) and birth and death dates, the word is, "unforgotten." |
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This shot shows the sign, the pathway and the grass section with the "alpha and omega" marker. |
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The Mörike quote on the "alpha and omega" marker is taken from this stanza:
In ihm sei's begonnen, der Monde und Sonnen an blauen Gezelten des Himmels bewegt. Du, Vater, du rate! Lenke du und wende! Herr, dir in die Hände sei Anfang und Ende, sei alles gelegt!
In English:
It is begun with Him to move the moons and suns in blue firmaments of the heaven. You, Father, advise! You steer and guide! Lord, may into your hands beginning and end of everything be given
