Development of the cemetery
- 1817
Auer burial grounds
The oldest part of the later cemetery was established on a narrow strip of land belonging to Au.
- 1894–1900
Cemetery buildings on Sankt-Martins-Platz
The complex was built to plans by Hans Grässel; Josef Guntermann created its monumental dome painting.
- 1900
Opening of Ostfriedhof
The Auer burial grounds were incorporated into the new major cemetery; construction continued until 1907.
- 1929
Municipal crematorium
The crematorium and funeral hall designed by Hans Grässel opened on 27 September.
- 1951–52
Reconstruction of the funeral hall
Hans Döllgast rebuilt the badly war-damaged hall in simplified form.
- 2017
Return of the cascades
The cascade complex, unused for many years after wartime damage, returned to operation.
Funeral hall, forum and main avenues
The funeral hall forms the monumental entrance on Sankt-Martins-Platz. Its dome has a diameter of 20 metres. The forum opens out from the circular building. The western main avenue leads to Tegernseer Landstraße, while the eastern avenue leads to the municipal crematorium.
The cascade with two fountains lies near the centre of the grounds. Representative graves line the main avenues, while a dense tree canopy structures the 25.9-hectare cemetery. This long layout is particularly clear on the official cemetery map.
Destruction and reconstruction
The funeral hall was largely destroyed during the Second World War. Hans Döllgast carried out a simplified reconstruction in 1951–52 whose exterior resembles the 1900 building. His own grave is in section 80 and is documented under notable graves.
The old Auer cemetery chapel was destroyed during the war. Several Ostfriedhof buildings are now protected monuments. The cascades also remained out of use for many years after war damage before water returned in 2017.
Crematorium and remembrance
Hans Grässel also designed the present crematorium. Its funeral hall deliberately has no religious symbolism. The history of this place also encompasses persecution and violence during the twentieth century.
The cemetery contains a burial section for people persecuted for political reasons, with a stele commemorating unknown dead. The memorial to the dead of the revolution, destroyed after 1933, was recreated after the war. The Field of the Nameless and Leiber memorial are further mapped places of remembrance. The cemetery tour links five selected stops without deriving a route from a non-georeferenced plan.