Historic traces around the Südwestkirchhof Stahnsdorf (16 to 21 km hike)

Let's walk through the Düppeler Forst to the Südwestkirchhof Stahnsdorf!

The Südwestkirchhof is a cemetery opened in the early 20th centry; it was supposed to become the new major cemetery for south west Berlin (hence the name). To accomodate for this important role, even a dedicated railway, the so-called "Friedhofsbahn", was built to the Südwestkirchhof. The cemetery developed during the 1920s and 1930s to one of the cemeteries preferred by the rich and famous. It hosts graves of the silent movie director F. W. Murnau, of the industrial tycoon Werner von Siemens, or the linguist and publisher Gustav Langenscheidt. The architect Max Taut created in the 1920s a unique expressionist tomb for the art patron Julius Wissinger.

History, however, turned in a different direction; after World War 2, the cemetery was located in East Germany, the part of Berlin it was supposed to serve for was in West Germany. The construction of the Berlin wall in 1961 finally cut off the cemetery which slowly overgrew with the time.

Today, the cemetery is still a marked by the very wild and vast vegetation. The cemetery chapel with its distinctive nordic style was recently used as filming location for the Netflix series Dark.

On our way to the cemetery, we will walk through the Düppeler Forst. The forest is also home to a couple of interesting relicts from the previous century, such as the bridge of the derelict Friedhofsbahn (used also as filming location) and an old Autobahn bridge left unused by the German division. We'll also see the site of a former Soviet monument where a Soviet tank used to greet the car drivers briefly before reaching west Berlin. History wanted it that the tank is not longer located there. However, it has been replaced by a pink-coloured snow blower since.

We'll meet directly at the starting point of the hike, at the S-Bahn station Zehlendorf. We'll walk then westwards through the forest in the direction of Griebnitzsee. At the old bridge at Albrechts Teerofen, we will cross the Teltowkanal and head to the Südwestkirchhof. After having visited the Südwestkirchhof, it is possible to take a bus back to Berlin. Alternatively, a 5 km walk to the S-Bahn station Griebnitzsee remains.

Important things to note:

• This is an average hike with a relatively long distance. Thus, you should wear suitable shoes.
• You are all responsible for yourself. None of us is mountain guide or something like that.
• There won't be too many Späties along the route, so have enough water and food with you.
• Please note that the number of participants is limited, because at a certain size a group gets virtually unmanageable. As the demand may be higher than the number of available spots, please be fair and only RSVP if you are sure that you can make it. If you learn later that you cannot take part, please update your RSVP accordingly.