Station 06 - Old St. John Cemetery

The venerable trees, ivy-clad walls, statues dating from the Renaissance to art nouveau, ornamental columns and gravestones of the Alter Johannisfriedhof invite the visitor to while away more than just a few minutes in this scenic gem. The romantically-inclined will surely be enchanted by the former cemetery whatever the season. Duke Georg decreed the graveyard be dedicated a communal cemetery in 1536; today it is the oldest in Leipzig.

A particular highlight for music lovers is the burial plot of Richard Wagner's mother, Johanna (1778-1848), and sister, Rosalie (1803-37). Other graves of interest include those of Thomaskantor (Cantor of St. Thomas) Christian Weinlig (1780-1842) - pedagogue, composer and not least, teacher of Richard Wagner. Friedrich Rochlitz (1769-1842) figures prominently in the history of music literature, as critic and editor of the widely distributed music journal Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung. Tribute is paid to Carl Friedrich Zöllner (1800-60), composer of the immortal song Das Wandern ist des Müllers Lust with his gravestone, transferred here from the New St. Johannis' Cemetery. Perusal of the graves of many, many more historical figures, including headmasters of the Thomasschule (St. Thomas School), philosophers, museum founders, poets and women's rights activists offers a fascinating insight into Leipzig's past.

The Alter Johannisfriedhof originally extended over a considerably larger area than that remaining today, including the site of the present day Grassi museum complex: the part of the cemetery containing the grave of Johann Sebastian Bach. Robert Schumann led the voicing of complaints about the lack of identification of the great master's exact resting place. This was rectified at the end of the 19th century by virtue of the extension works to the Johanniskirche (St. Johannis’ Church); Bach's mortal remains were excavated, identified and reinterred in a memorial tomb. Whilst leaving the tomb itself intact, the damage sustained by the Johanniskirche during the Second World War was so severe that it was decided to transfer Bach's remains to the Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church) in 1949, his final resting place.

Site: behind the Grassimuseum, entrance via Täubchenweg or Prager Straße

Opening times: daily from 10am; closes at 4pm to 8pm, depending on the season