AKA
Waldfriedhof Döbern

This is the listing for the communal cemetery in Döbern. A second cemetery is located two miles south in the village of Eichwege, which is managed by the local Lutheran church.

Contact for this cemetery is the City Hall in Spremberg:
Verwaltungsamt Döbern-Land
Friedhofsangelegenheiten
Schulweg 1
03130 Spremberg – Hornow
GERMANY

Tel (035600) 3687-72
Fax (035600) 3687-16

This cemetery is located outside the village, also known as the Forest Cemetery (Waldfriedhof Döbern). It's about 45,700 m² (11.2 acres) in size. There is a large war grave area with about 600 graves of civilian and soldiers, who died during World War II, including graves of Russian soldiers. The cemetery has a columbarium (Urnenwand), an area for urn burials only (Urnenfeld) and a few old family mausoleums (e.g. von Dobschütz family). There is also a wooded area, where the anonymous placement of ashes is permitted (Anonymes Gräberfeld).

Please note that the graves in Germany are not perpetual. After a certain period of repose (15-20 years in Döbern) the graves are being leveled and re-used. There is no toxic embalming being done in Germany, so the coffin and the corpse can decompose naturally. If the family of the deceased decides to purchase another period, the duration can be extended by another 15-20 years. Otherwise, the grave will be leveled and reused, the marker then used as gravel in road construction. War Graves are considered memorials and are kept up by the owner of the cemetery. Those are kept forever. Also, the town or owner of the cemetery might find a grave of historical significance and will protect and keep it indefinitely.