War graves for German and Allied fallen soldiers and civilians

The first burials in this cemetery took place in 1941. These were German soldiers who had died in military hospitals - the Second World War had begun with the German invasion of Poland in 1939. Until the end of the war in 1945, victims of air raids from Münster and forced laborers who died here were buried alongside German soldiers. Some of the bodies of these foreign war victims were relocated here after the end of the war. They all have a permanent right to a war grave. This means that their grave is maintained here in perpetuity by the municipal cemetery administration. The War Graves Act does not differentiate between perpetrators and victims. They are all intended to commemorate the victims of war and tyranny and to keep alive the memory of the terrible consequences of war and tyranny for future generations.

There are 894 graves in eight fields (labeled A to H) in the so-called German cemetery. More than half of the war graves belong to civilians who died in air raids. Although it is called the German Cemetery, fallen war victims from Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the former Yugoslavia are also buried here. Their names are inscribed on the grave crosses. One war grave was removed in 2019: Fritz Schmidt, one of the leading National Socialists in the Netherlands, did not die as a result of war, which is why he was denied the permanent right to a war grave.

 

Commonwealth War Cemetery Münster Heath

The area of the Münster Heath Cemetery was on the line of the Allied advance across northern Germany in 1945 but the majority of those buried in the cemetery died while serving with the Army of Occupation after the German surrender. Munster Heath Cemetery contains 589 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. There are also 277 post-war graves.

 

Polish and Soviet War Cemeteries

After 1945, war cemeteries were created for Polish and Soviet war victims. Among the 77 Poles buried, there are 18 soldiers from the 1st Polish Armoured Division, who took part in the liberation of the Münsterland from National Socialism on the side of the Allied armies. This cemetery was renovated in 2009. A memorial stone names the known fallen.

The Soviet war graves are now commonly known as the Russian cemetery. There are 164 deceased buried here. These are 72 prisoners of war, 89 forced laborers and three children. The names of 61 of them are not known. A memorial stone from 1949 refers to 164 ‘Soviet citizens’ in Cyrillic script. In addition to Russians, deceased from other nations are buried there. The birthplaces of some of the fallen are now in Ukraine or Belarus.