Achern - Illenauer Friedhof

The first director of the Illenau sanatorium and nursing home, Christian Roller, founded in 1842, wanted his own cemetery for deceased patients, employees and their relatives. Roller did not want an "ordinary cemetery" as envisaged by the Baden cemetery regulations - he orientated himself on the English landscape parks with their winding paths, wanted to create a "horticultural art installation" and prevailed over the authorities. The Illenau cemetery was inaugurated in 1858.

The variety of trees and shrubs, some of them exotic, invites you to linger. The Illenau cemetery is perceived as a place of peace, quiet and tranquillity - both in the days of the sanatorium and nursing home and today.

The almost completely preserved gravestones from the period between 1858 and 1940, with examples of various styles including Art Nouveau and Art Deco, make the cemetery a cultural monument. The inscriptions on the graves speak of the fates of people from St. Petersburg, Odessa, Bucharest, Paris and Zurich, who were connected in many ways with the internationally renowned Grand Ducal-Baden sanatorium and nursing home in Illenau.

In 1957, the town of Achern took over the facility, which was placed under a preservation order in 1971. The cemetery is maintained by volunteers.

The Illenau cemetery is located on the outskirts of Achern in the direction of Sasbachwalden in the Illenau Forest recreational area.

In the nearby Illenau, you can find more information about the cemetery in the Illenau Arcade Museum with bistro.

Illenau cemetery opening hours: 8.30 am - 5.00 pm (winter), 8.30 am - 8.00 pm (summer).