The 3 Cemeteries

Since the initial planning times of the new Weilmuenster Clinic complex during the last decade of the 19th century (1890-1900) a funeral area in the neighbouring forest was integrated in the hospital development concept. Some historic sources consider that this funeral site was already overstored after the first 4 decades of the 20th century, so that in the years before the Second World War most existing gravesides must have been dissolved. The nowadays still existing 3 cemetery sectors so shelter mostly the deceased persons from the years between 1933 and 1990.

The Jewish Cemetery

A small sector of 61 graves in the center of the clinic cemetery is separated with a fence and markered as Jewish Cemetery. Most probably here are the gravesides of the patients which had been registered as members of orthodox jewish believe. More detailled information written in german language is registered at the pages http://www.lassarahs.blogspot.com and http://www.cementerio-judio.blogspot.com

Every year a list with the actual jewish holydays is exposed at the cemeteries entrance.



The Clinic Cemetery

The clinic cemeteries is dominated by the holocaust memorials that are erected at those sectors, where graves of victims of the fascist T-4 extermination program have been removed, even if the cemetery also includes naturally deceased patients and clinic staff gravesides from the years after the Second World War until 1990. The exact number of victims of organized murdered patients is not exactly determined. The officially organized T-4 program worked between 1938 and 1941 but also in the following war-years 1942-1945 many racially "separated" patients in Weilmünster deceased as consecuence of starvation or overdosed sleeping drugs. Furthermore 2.595 patients had been removed during the year 1941 from the Weilmünster hospital and transported to Hadamar which was known as one of 6 central extermination stations for patient murders in former fascist Germany. During the whole T-4 program in Germany had been murdered about 70.000 hospital patients that had been considered as "unworth for life".

The Military Cemetery

The soldiers cementery is located at the upper east end of the clinic cemetery. In 1959 the 275 graves were separated by a wall from the hospital cemetery and separate access road, entrance and memorial have been constructed.