Melaten cemetery
Cologne's largest cemetery — a park-like burial ground holding the graves of many of the city's notable residents.
since 1810
The name Melaten reaches back to a medieval hospital for the sick and lepers, long before the grounds became Cologne's central cemetery and were laid out as a park.
At a glance
- Location
- Northern part of the Lindenthal district
- Area
- 435,000 square metres
- Graves
- 55,540 (recorded in 2008)
- First mentioned
- 1243
- Known for
- the graves of many figures from Cologne's public life
Age comparison
Age compared with other places in Cologne.
Name
The name preserves the „hoff to Malaten" set down in a 1243 document — in modern German the „Hof der Maladen", the yard of the malades. It points back to a 12th-century institution that cared for the sick and for lepers.
Surroundings
Roads enclose the site on every side: Aachener Straße to the south, Piusstraße to the east, Oskar-Jäger-Straße together with the Melatengürtel to the west, and Weinsbergstraße to the north.
History
The cemetery lies about a kilometre west of the city district, just beyond the Bischofsweg. That road once marked the boundary between the territory of the city and that of the archbishop. Because it lay on the far side, the hospital fell under the archbishop's jurisdiction and stayed in spiritual hands.
Burials
Those buried here include Johann Maria Farina (1685–1766), who founded Eau de Cologne, and Nicolaus August Otto (1832–1891), credited with the engine that carries his name. Among the others are the painter Sigmar Polke, the photographer August Sander, the actor Willy Millowitsch, the politician Guido Westerwelle, and Alfred Nourney (1892–1972), a survivor of the Titanic.
Gallery
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Aachener Str. 204
50931 Köln
Hours
Mo: 07:00–20:00
Di: 07:00–20:00
Mi: 07:00–20:00
Do: 07:00–20:00
Fr: 07:00–20:00
Sa: 07:00–20:00
So: 07:00–20:00
Contact
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Sources & links
- Official website
- Official website (retrieved 2026-07-17)
- Wikidata (retrieved 2026-06-30)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-06-30, rev 266788608)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-30
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