Ehrengrab

An ehrengrab (German: Ehrengrab; English: 'grave of honor') is a distinction granted by certain German, Swiss and Austrian cities to some of their citizens for extraordinary services or achievements in their lifetimes. If there are no descendants or institutions to care for the gravesites, the communities or cities will take responsibility for the graves and for financing their care.

Many ehrengrabs (Ehrengräber) also serve to document cultural history; for example, when a cemetery containing artistically notable graves is closed and the graves are moved at public expense.

The basic details of the awarding, financing and care of honorary graves are similarly handled in all German-speaking countries. Berlin and Vienna maintain the largest number of such sites.

In Berlin about 200 cemeteries contain approximately 740 tombs of honor with about 800 Ehrengräber. The difference between the number of tombs and graves of honor is explained by the fact that some family tombs honor several individuals. Berlin public memorial graves are under the legislation of the Berlin Senate dating to 1952, labeled as "General Instructions for the recognition, transfer and maintenance ..." regarding tombs subject to benefits. The current basis is §12, Paragraph 6 of the "Law on the state-owned and non-state-owned cemeteries in Berlin" (Cemeteries Act) of 1 November 1995.

As such, Berlin provides at public expense honorary graves, available to:

Among those who have such tombs of honor in Berlin are Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Bertolt Brecht, Wilhelm Busch, Theodor Fontane, Valeska Gert, the brothers Grimm, Georg Ludwig Hartig, Heinrich von Kleist, Hildegard Knef, Otto Lilienthal, Herbert Marcuse, Felix Mendelssohn, Marg Moll, Helmut Newton, Ernst Reuter, Joachim Ringelnatz, Heinrich Zille, and Arnold Zweig.

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