Hirsau Monastery, Black Forest, Germany

Hirsau was an important Benedictine abbey, an extensive ground including a graveyard where only few stones have remained. The name proper is St. Peter and Paul, Hirsau as it is known localy, is the name of the village.

Hirsau  was once one of the most important monasteries in Germany. At the time of its construction in the late 11th century, St. Peter and Paul was the largest monastery in the German-speaking area. During the Palatinate War of Succession, the complex burned down (1692) and then fell into disrepair.

Russia: Tikhvin Cemetery, Saint Petersburg

“Ich sehe, wenn ich aus der Stadt, das Haupt gesenkt,

Den Schritt zum Friedhof hin, dem städtischen gelenkt,

Stakete, Säulenreihn, Konsole an Konsole –

Hier fault der Leichenberg der russischen Metropole –

Fein säuberlich in Reih und Glied und recht beengt,

Wie eine Bettlerschaar, die sich zum Tische drängt.“

Fjodor Dostojewski (starb 1881 in Sankt Petersburg)

 

Many of the famous Russian intellectual élite are buried on Thikvin cemetery. Unfortunately the graves have been moved and regrouped so “the necropolis of Art Masters” feels rather artificial and has no beauty in itself. That changes once you enter the second part, the necropolis of the 18th century. You are charged 400 Russian Rubles for both parts of the walled in graveyard.