Cemetery Gravesite and Memorial to the Fallen of World War One in Marburg

Pictures and text by Mark R. Hatlie

These pictures were taken on 13 Februrary, 2006 in the main city cemetery in Marburg.

	There is a sizeable section of the cemetery set aside for World War One graves. It was covered with snow, so I was not able to see if there were rows of flat markers.
	This one marker partially visible through the snow seems to indicate that many markers were indeed covered. It shows a name, birth and death dates.
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	The centerpiece of the complex is this altar and cross. The words on the front are, "The city of Marburg to those who fell in the World War" ("Die Stadt Marburg den im Weltkrieg Gefallenen"). I could find no date on the marker. The wreath ribbons had no writing indicating who laid it.
	This view shows the many upright markers to the left and right of the central cross.
	The graves on the right side (coming from the gate) were under a tree, protected from the snow, but almost totally overgrown with ivy.
	This grave bears a headstone with the 1916-1918 German steel helmut.
	These are the graves on the left side. They are as ecclectic as the individual markers that can be seen at the Stuttgart forest cemetery World War One graves, but generally not as elaborate or large.
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	This is one of the graves. It is a family-sponsored marker for one of the fallen.
	This marker was not in the World War One grave complex, but at another location in the cemetery. It began as a grave marker for a man who fell in Verdun in 1916, but relatives were later added (which is presumably not allowed in the military section).
	The bottom of the marker bears the words, "For it is better for us to die in battle, than to behold the calamities of our people and our sanctuary I Macc. 3:59"