Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
21 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
23 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
25 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
26 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Germany Berchtesgaden The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden

The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden

This small Bavarian graveyard is filled with empty graves for German soldiers lost during the World Wars.

Berchtesgaden, Germany

Added By
Luke Spencer
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden   Luke J Spencer / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

All over Western Europe are countless cemeteries and monuments for those who died in the two World Wars. In Flanders alone, where the horrific conditions of the Western Front in the Great War took the lives of millions, there are over 170 Allied cemeteries, all immaculately preserved and maintained by the government funded Commonwealth Graves Commission.

What is noticeable however, is the scarcity of German graves. World War I cost Germany just under two million dead, while figures for World War II range somewhere between four and five million. Most died on foreign soil. The majority of these casualties ended up in either mass graves, or unmarked burial sites, simply nearby where they fell.

But how does the losing side in a war (especially one which is so reviled, and which was the aggressor in the conflicts) go about remembering and honoring their dead?

Throughout Germany, but especially prominent in the south, townsfolk with no physical remains of their loved ones to bury have added monuments and gravestones to existing cemeteries with the names listed as missing. 

One such cemetery can be found in the old picturesque town of Berchtesgaden, located in the Bavarian Alps near the border with Austria. Secluded within a valley that has been virtually untouched for hundreds of years and surrounded by the Alps, the unspoiled beauty of the town lies in stark contrast to its most infamous part time resident, Adolf Hitler, who built a secret enclave high up the mountain for the inner circle of the Nazi party.

The cemetery itself is one of Berchtesgaden’s oldest, and belongs to a Franciscan church in the centre of town, dating from the 17th century. Embedded in the cemetery wall are countless grave markers to the missing soldiers of Berchtesgaden, almost all with a ceramic photograph, as well as their names, ages, and where they died. 

Walking through the cemetery, the first overriding thought is of how many there are compared to the size of the town. It seems as if almost every family in Berchtesgaden had lost at least one, if not two, sons during World War II. A family named Lochner lost all three of theirs. 

Looking at the inscriptions, most were killed in their early 20s, and fairly late in the war, from 1943 onwards. As for where they died, many of the empty grave markers invariably say Stalingrad, or Kaukasus. Others are not quite as specific, and merely say "In Russland." The majority however simply say "im Osten," or "in the East."

The brutal fighting that followed the invasion of Russia saw a staggering number of casualties on both the German and Russian sides. Neil Halloran’s astonishing animated documentary "The Fallen of World War II" poignantly shows the colossal numbers of those killed. The numbers are almost too great to fully comprehend.

As the Iron Curtain descended on Eastern Europe, the German War Graves Commission, the Volksbund, was cut off from accessing the old battle sites and mass graves of the Eastern Front. Whilst its Commonwealth counterpart benefits from government funding, the Volksbund largely depends on charitable donations. After the Cold War ended, the organization started the foreboding task of locating Germany’s long lost dead. Over the past two decades, just over 700,000 German soldiers have been found, identified and reburied, a number that increases by around 40,000 each year. Martin Dodenhoeft, the Volksbund’s Head of Communications says, “people are still looking for missing relatives today....many have given up hope. Maybe they don’t know that the commission can provide answers.” Even though the war ended 70 years ago, their online search database processes around 20,000 searches a month. 

Back in Berchtesgaden’s peaceful cemetery, whilst their physical remains might not be present, the memory of the fallen is plain to see in the photographic portraits placed upon the graves. Printed on ceramic tiles, each were taken in full uniform, their faces youthful and happy. Walking through the cemetery, surrounded by the unspoiled beauty of the Alps, it is a moving experience that remembers the missing men of Berchtesgaden. 

Related Tags

Graveyards Cemeteries Nazis World War Ii Military

Community Contributors

Added By

Luke J Spencer

Edited By

Mike Portanova, edgemo2001

  • Mike Portanova
  • edgemo2001

Published

August 13, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/ww2-by-the-numbers/world-wide-deaths.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_War_Graves_Commission
  • http://www.greatwar.co.uk/ypres-salient/cemetery-langemark.htm
  • http://www.history.com/news/seven-decades-after-world-war-ii-the-search-for-germanys-war-dead-continues
  • http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-tracing-its-war-dead-from-world-war-ii-a-832063.html
  • http://www.volksbund.de/en/volksbund.html
The German War Graves of Berchtesgaden
Baumgartenallee, 83471
Berchtesgaden, 83471
Germany
47.630777, 13.001804
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Berchtesgaden Salt Mine

Berchtesgaden, Germany

miles away

The Eagle's Nest

Berchtesgaden, Germany

miles away

Schloss Hellbrunn

Salzburg, Austria

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Berchtesgaden

Berchtesgaden

Germany

Places 3

Nearby Places

Berchtesgaden Salt Mine

Berchtesgaden, Germany

miles away

The Eagle's Nest

Berchtesgaden, Germany

miles away

Schloss Hellbrunn

Salzburg, Austria

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Berchtesgaden

Berchtesgaden

Germany

Places 3

Related Places

  • Flowers growing on a mass grave.

    Saint Petersburg, Russia

    Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery

    This memorial complex contains several mass graves for victims of the Siege of Leningrad.

  • Warsaw, Poland

    Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery

    The final resting place of more than 200,000 people, this is one of the largest cemeteries in Europe.

  • Jinja War Cemetery.

    Jinja, Uganda

    Jinja War Cemetery

    The final resting place of soldiers who fell during the First and Second World Wars.

  • Warsaw, Poland

    Grave of Rudolf Kwiek

    The final resting place of the last "gypsy king" of Poland.

  • The Polish graves.

    Mbala, Zambia

    Mbala Pioneer Cemetery

    A small cemetery on a hill overlooking Mbala contains the history of the town's colonial past.

  • Taukkyan War Cemetery.

    Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

    Taukkyan War Cemetery

    Myanmar's beautiful cemetery for Allied soldiers who perished during World War II.

  • Polish graves at Newark Cemetery.

    Newark-on-Trent, England

    Polish War Graves of Newark Cemetery

    The final resting place of hundreds of Polish airmen who died fighting the Nazis in Britain.

  • The cemetery as seen from the high cross.

    Wicklow, Ireland

    Glencree German War Cemetery

    Ireland's only German military cemetery holds the remains of a spy who was moved there under the cover of darkness.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.