Green spaces in Central Hanover

St. Nicholas Cemetery

Hannover's oldest abandoned cemetery in the city center

Historic gravestones at Goseriedeplatz — Historic gravestones

The St. Nikolai cemetery was probably laid out outside the city in front of the stone gate in the second half of the 13th century, in connection with a hospital for the isolation of people suffering from leprosy. From 1325 at the latest, it was equipped with a chapel for funeral services.

By the 16th century, the cemetery had become increasingly important. It served as a burial place for the numerous victims of the plague epidemics and the many dead of the 30 and 7-year wars.

For this reason, the cemetery had to be expanded northward four times between 1355 and 1824. Since it could no longer be expanded at that location, it was abandoned in 1866 and has belonged to the city of Hannover since 1890.

In the following years, the cemetery was redesigned as a green space while preserving its historical character.

During the Second World War, the green area was devastated and many gravestones and the chapel were badly destroyed.

The former cemetery area suffered further serious losses during post-war reconstruction. Road widening necessitated the demolition of the memorial hall and partial demolition of the chapel ruins. The extension of Celler Straße cut up the previously closed overall complex. 30 percent of the historic cemetery area was lost and the number of gravestones fell from 647 before 1953 to 278 in 1987.

Due to its historical significance and to preserve the remaining cemetery elements, the St. Nikolai cemetery was placed under a preservation order in 1987.

Historic gravestones under old trees with autumn colors — The St. Nikolai cemetery in the fall

As part of the “Hannover City2020+” program, the Klagesmarkt/Goseriede area underwent a major redesign. By narrowing the streets and removing the Klagesmarkt roundabout, the northern and southern sections of the cemetery have been brought closer together again. This also made it possible to expose the chapel ruins once more. South of the chapel, 28 of the oldest and most artistically valuable gravestones have been gathered in a lapidarium or mounted on the chapel. Additional gravestones have been partially repositioned on the green space. The most famous grave monument is the “Jüngling” (Youth), erected in honor of the Hanoverian poet Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty.